Aceh, unfinished history

The story of a land devastated by tsunamis

Jean-Claude Pomonti & Voja Miladinovic
IRASEC et Aux lieux d’être, Paris
2005, 100 p.
ISBN : 978-2-91606-301-0
Texte français
English text

On December 26, 2004, the tsunami swept the coasts of the Indian Océan and killed some 220,000 people. Over two thirds of the victims were from Aceh. This Indonesian province is by far the most devastated région ; entire towns hâve been completely levelled.

The tragedy led to a flow of generosity that had never been experienced before. The arrivai of emergency aid coming from America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, instantly brought the hitherto little known région in the limelight of world’s attention.

The world discovered Aceh ; a place where even tourists had been forbidden for years and where the army has been ruthlessly suppressing a separatist guerrilla for the last 25 years. The forgotten conflict killed tens of thousands.

But who are the Acehnese ? In the past they offered a tierce résistance against the Dutch and Japanese invasions and today dare standing against the central Indonesian power ? Among the rubble left by the disaster, Le Monde’s former correspondent in Southeast Asia, Jean-Claude Pomonti and press photographer Voja Miladinovic went back to Aceh one more time. There, they witnessed the conséquences of the massive arrivai of foreigners.

This book is based on testimonies collected over the last decade. It relates the history of a pious, proud and open-minded Muslims population that has been fighting to preserve its identity and find a place within the Indonesian Republic. The unfinished history...

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Contents

Maps

Chronology

Avant-propos

Preface (in english)

Aceh, unfinished history

Photos