A thousand ironic stories emanate from Aceh. In the land of the teuku (Acehnese nobility) contradictoryevents occur simultaneously: war and peace, joy and sorrow, wealth and poverty.

The two-storey Lhokseumawe state polytechnic school is sheltering fleeingvillagers. Children, adolescentsand old people are united in their plight. When war is imminent, their only choice is to abandon their villages.

In another village in the hinterland of Aceh, a few