T

wenty-three year-old Jainab Aminullah could not hold back her tears as she scattered flowers at the Ulee Lhuee mass grave in Banda Aceh, one of the biggest mass graves in Aceh.

“Every time I come here, I feel sad and can’t hold back tears due to the memories of my loved ones who died in the tsunami in 2004,” said Jainab.

Every year on Dec. 26, Jainab always visits a number of mass graves in Banda Aceh because she is not sure where her parents are buried.

“I have to visit all the graves to pray because I’m certain that members of my family are certainly buried in one of the mass graves,” she said.

Her relatives were among the 130,000 dead and 37,000 unaccounted for when the tsunami, triggered by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake, struck on Dec. 26, 2004.

On Monday, thousands of Aceh residents visited the mass graves located in a number of places in Banda Aceh. The most crowded were the Ulee Lhuee and the mass grave in Siron village, Lambaro, Aceh Besar.

The graveyard in Siron village was swarmed by visitors from morning. They prayed together to remember their loved ones lost in the tsunami.

A total of 47,781 victims are buried at the graveyard, the biggest mass grave of tsunami victims in Aceh.

Apart from Siron, Aceh residents also visited the mass graves in Ulee Lhuee and Lhoknga golf course in Aceh Besar, where the seventh anniversary commemoration of the tsunami was concentrated.

Here, the anniversary was marked with the planting of 5,000 Shinsa Mirai No Hana hibiscus flowers at the Lhoknga golf course.

The flowers were donated by Japanese volunteers who are visiting Aceh to commemorate the tsunami anniversary. Apart from the Japanese volunteers, a number of children of tsunami victims also took part in the flower planting event.

“We hope the Shinsai Mira No Hana flowers can lift everyone’s spirit to lead life for the future,” said Japanese volunteer Nishika Ryo.

The flowers were first planted at the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque and Ulee Lhuee mass grave in Banda Aceh during the 2010 commemoration.

Residents also prayed together at several mosques in areas hit by the tsunami, such as at the Subulusalam Mosque in Punge Jurong, located not far from the power-generation vessel that was swept inland.

They appeared absorbed in deep sorrow as prayers echoed from the mosque’s loud hailer.

“I feel very sad, but I don’t want to be engrossed in sadness every tsunami anniversary,” said Rosyida Hamid, from Punge Blang Cut.

She said people must rise up from grief seven years after the disaster.

Rosyida hoped the tragedy could serve as a warning and lesson, for people to be aware and understand the disaster so as to minimize the number of victims in the event of such a tragedy in the future. “We don’t intend to forget our families but rather look at how the past can serve as a lesson for the next generation.”