Aceh's Unbroken Spirit
Susi Pudjiastuti
An Unlikely Angel of Mercy
WHEN the tsunami struck Aceh, Susi Pudjiastuti, then a fish trader based in Pangandaran, West Java, heard the news from friends via her cellphone. "I didn't have a TV, so I went to my Mum's place to find out more," recalled Susi. As the death toll rose from a few dozen to thousands, she decided then and there to fly to Aceh and help out. It was a decision that was to change her life.
Susi had recently purchased two Cessna Caravan aircraft to transport fish from Pangandaran to Jakarta, so she and three pilots flew to Medan, the closest airport to Aceh, intending to fly on to the devastated areas after securing the insurance coverage needed for the planes. But since Aceh was considered a conflict area under military rule, it took a full day of phone calls to key people in government before she finally got the necessary papers.
December 23, 2014
Susi Pudjiastuti
An Unlikely Angel of Mercy
WHEN the tsunami struck Aceh, Susi Pudjiastuti, then a fish trader based in Pangandaran, West Java, heard the news from friends via her cellphone. "I didn't have a TV, so I went to my Mum's place to find out more," recalled Susi. As the death toll rose from a few dozen to thousands, she decided then and there to fly to Aceh and help out. It was a decision that was to change her life.
Susi had recently pu
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