IN the hamlet of Lampuuk, he is known as Pang Laot or commander of the sea. Though already 73, he still leads the local fishermen. He was born by the name of Cut Muhammad Daud.

On that ill-fated Sunday, he was on the beach. That is why he was one of the first people exhorting other residents to flee when the seawater suddenly ebbed, followed by a thunderous sound.

Unfortunately the waves came quickly, sweeping away the hamlets at the subdistrict of