Thoughts on the Indian Ocean Earthquake/Tsunami

I'm 20 yrs old 10 months by the time this entry conpletes, yet I have witnessed some of the world's greatest disasters in just a few years. Nature has been rather unkind recent years. For major earthquakes, there was the Kobe earthquake in 1995, then came Taiwan's 921 earthquake in 1999, Turkey was badly shaken in 2001, and Iran tremored in late 2003. Other less serious quakes in Japan, Sumatra etc needs no mentioning. Escalated EL Nino & La Nina effects came with heat waves and disrupted food soources. SARS broke out in 2003, while chicken flu strikes as and when it likes. Floodings in China/India got worse every year, now even M'sia & Thailand can flood quite badly. No disasterous volcanic eruptions yet but the famous Mt St Helen is getting active. Death from natural disaster was uncountable. Year 2004 alone was a year marked by extreme natural disasters. Mega hurricanes swept countries in the caribbean sea at wind speed 220+km/h, some of the strongest ever. 10 typhooons struck Japan and 24 ravaged Philippines in, including some coming at the wrong time around Christmas. Locust swarms swept thru Africa for months. To wrap up 2004, Mother Nature rocks again on Boxing Day, demostrating her destructive powers with the well talked about Indian Ocean earthquake and catastrophic deadly tsunamis. That is the most devastating natural disaster I have lived to see. 1 so massive that maybe my grand children will study during their Geography lessons.

The 1st few days of the New Year appears sorrowful. Every morning we wake up to be greeted by prolonged rain/drizzle and shady sky, as if the celestrial bodies weeped and mourn for the major disaster. Outdoor activities are largely affected but daily cool tempreatures ~25.5 degrees is welcomed. I had planned to tour Phuket Island in the near future(after NS), to bask on the sunny tropical beaches, surf the tides, dive and watch beach babes play in the clear sea waters. Sadly all these dreams for a pradise escapade are to be put off for years, as the beaches of Phuket lies in ruins and the sand poisoned by dead bodies. Probably I can only go there when I finish my University educations.

For the past week, I have been paying attention to news and reports of this great disaster, as well as documentaries on tsunamis. Pictures of land overrun by tidal waves, muddy grounds littered with bodies and ever increasing numbers of death toll inevitably made me feel an urge to contribute to the world community, esp. those in desperate needs. Moneytary aid is a crude method of helping which I feel rather inadequte for the situation now and easily falls into wrong hands. I came up with wild ideas like sending boxes of combat rations from my company's store but for that I'll have to answer for robbing SAF. Volunteering for service is also not possible because of NS. (I would rather go search for survivals & bodies than rot in camp) I have a number of old clothes & blankets ready for donations but by the time I book out from camp the demand of these items had ceased. In the end the only available revenue of help I can provide is still contributing money to professional organisations of helpers like Red Cross, Salvation Army etc. Generosity is an issue here, for there are millions out there who needs the sum of money more than we do. In the name of humanity, saving lifes is regardless of piety differences and relations. I hereby appeal to people reading this entry to extend a helping hand to the unfortunate victims of the disaster. Life is fragile. Nobody will know when he/she will land in some unlucky situation, becomes history or dependent on other's generosity, like the victims now.

As I watched videos of towering waves crashing onto the beaches of the beautiful Phuket Island, I couldn't help but think of how safe Singapore can be. Though near to some of the most active tectonic plates, fault lines and volitile volcanos, big land masses like Sumatra shields us from everything from earthquakes to tsunamis. We do not stand in the way of typhoons as well. The haze is a minor problem and not really disasterous. Unless a meteor were to fall right on Singapore, I don't see any nature's fury can possibly harm us. Our unawareness of disasters can be illustrated by killer waves in Phuket & Penang, who had no history of tsunamis before. If similiar trouble really strikes one day, I guess thats it.(note: somehow 10+ people in Singapore kanna struck by lightning every year, and a few die from asthma will theres haze)

Lastly, I would like to make a rather political comment. Indonesia seems in a state of despair, for most Aceh lies in ruins. I read that 60% of facilities there were destroyed, and the state capital, Banda Aceh was hit terribly too. However, Aceh is only a small part of Indonesia. I feel its a chance for President Susilo Bambang Yudloyohno to bring great peace to his country, if he deals with the catastrophe well. Aceh has been the most difficult rebel state of Indonesia for decades. With the calamity leaving villages flattened and over a hundred thousand dead, Indonesian troops are now enter Aech to rescue rather than to fight. Both government & foreign aid enters this land to save the people, which I think can bring down the masses resentment shortly and boost ruling government's credit. Furthermore, money making resources like oil, coals and other minerals seemed unharmed despite massive destruction to coastal areas. So the land can generate more riches infuture. A blessing in disguise. (this paragraph is largely a personal guessing)