T

housands prayed for loved ones lost in Aceh, the area hardest hit by a tsunami and earthquake five years ago, with effects felt as far as Africa's eastern seaboard.

Vice President Boediono prayed with local authorities and residents as he visited some of the worst-hit areas including the Ule Lhee beach, and the Lambaro Museum, one site of mass graves near the port.

Aceh and Nias in North Sumatra were hardest hit by the disaster, in which an estimated 230,000 people died or went missing.

The tsunami also reached Somalia, where almost 300 people were killed.

Boediono was cheered when he said the government would make Aceh "a center of excellence" again, referring to its condition before the 10-year armed conflict and before the tsunami on Dec. 26, 2004.

Taking note of the people's "inspiring resilience," Boediono, an economist, said the priority in Aceh would be building its human resources, followed by improving the investment climate and building infrastructure.

After the disaster, "the central and local governments, supported by the international community, have helped rebuild Aceh in a climate of peace," Boediono said.

The damage and loss from the tsunami were followed shortly after by a historic peace deal in Helsinki, Finland, ending the armed conflict between Jakarta and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). As part of the agreement, Aceh gained special autonomy status.

Boediono also praised Aceh's diversity and "openness", but did not address criticism of the province's adoption of Islamic sharia law facilitated by Aceh's autonomy.

"I see Aceh's heterogeneity as evidence of its openness. Peace will be a strong foundation on which to build a better Aceh.

"Patience, resilience and commitment are needed to rebuild the *Pavilion of Mecca'," Boediono said, referring to Aceh's moniker characterizing its religious piety.

Boediono was accompanied by Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf and former chief of the Aceh-Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR) Kuntoro Mangunsubroto.

The governor admitted there were unfinished projects, such as housing for victims. An estimated 1,500 families are still living in shelters, according to the Movement for Homes of Tsunami Victims (GPRS).

Five years have not erased the sense of loss across the province, which saw entire coastal villages wiped out in the disaster.

Flags flew at half mast and residents wept when recounting their experiences.

Adesiah said she was among 60 residents in the coastal village of Lampulo in Banda Aceh, who managed to jump to safety on the deck of a boat that had been washed ashore.

The boat where she and other survivors took refuge for seven hours rested on top of her house. Both structures are now official "tsunami sites".

Mujiburrizal, another survivor joining prayers under the boat, said commemorations of the disaster "serve to remind us that survivors were given another chance by God to change for the better".

Antara news agency quoted a cleric at the Grand Mosque, who called on people to strengthen their faith, echoing the belief among many here that decadence in Aceh had contributed to the disaster.

The fifth anniversary was also marked with tsunami drills in a number of areas.

Reuters reported Saturday that a 6.0-magnitude quake hit the Tanimbar islands in Maluku province, at a depth of 56 kilometers, sending tourists in nearby Tual island fleeing from their hotels.