After the Maps are Washed Away

The nation has never learned from disasters. Indonesia has to pay a very high price.

January 4, 2005

Never ask where Meulaboh is
Never ask where Banda Aceh is
Never ask where Bireuen is...
Their maps have crumbled

THAT'S the concern voiced by Fikar W. Eda, a poet from Aceh living in Jakarta. These days, the dots on the atlas of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam have become blurred. Nobody knows the remaining proportion of life in Banda Aceh, Meulaboh, Lhok Seumawe, Lhok Nga and also Simeulue Island. "The maps have been washed away,"

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