W

hen the earthquake and tsunami catastrophe wiped out Banda Aceh in 2004, I witnessed how the giant tides destroyed the capital without mercy and left it engulfed in scattered debris and dead bodies. Until today, I still feel grateful that I survived.

During the first night after the tragedy, Banda Aceh was a dead city; dark, silent and creepy. At that time, I had come to the conclusion that Banda Aceh had become history. Who would be able to clear the city of the towering piles of debris? Who would be able to collect the thousands of dead bodies? Half of the capital'€™s residents perished, leaving the rest in tears and severe trauma.

As a journalist, I recorded what happened to Banda Aceh after the tsunami. It is still clear in my mind how aid from the international community and its militaries flowed in from all over the world to help Aceh. Aceh was finally opened after being closed for more than a year due to armed conflict and martial law.

The tsunami was not the only important occasion for the Acehnese. Several months after the tsunami, Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) declared peace in Aceh after some 30 years of conflict. I was in Banda Aceh, witnessing people hugging and crying after they saw GAM and Indonesian representatives shaking hands on television screens. Today, the Acehnese, in general, believe that peace was achieved because of the tsunami.

After moving to Jakarta in 2008, I mostly witnessed Aceh'€™s development from the media. However, in November I got an opportunity to visit Aceh and I was amazed.

The city has changed dramatically; I could not recognize any roads, as they all looked very different from what I used to know. The places that I used to dig up stories were gone or changed, but it was a good change in terms of infrastructure.

Suddenly, I was a stranger in Banda Aceh.

The capital today has many new roads, new buildings, foot bridges, traffic lights and numerous Indomaret-chain stores. Now it is easy to find ATM machines, even drive-through ones for motorists.

Another issue of interest is the townspeople. The tsunami indeed killed many residents, but after 10 years, the population looks bigger; not only to locals, but also to outsiders who moved to Banda Aceh, thanks to the peace agreement.

People were swarming everywhere; in coffee shops with Wi-Fi, in fancy cars, in the restaurants, or at tourist sites like Ulee Lheue beach and the iconic Baiturrahman Grand Mosque.

I visited Ulee Lheue in the afternoon. The area, well-known as ground zero for the disaster, was packed with people enjoying sunset on the beach. People also sat near the mass grave, eating grilled corn and drinking coconut juice. Many sellers nearby were busy serving their consumers. I was surprised, as I remembered the area being spooky and empty, especially because of the mass grave.

My assumptions about the new Banda Aceh residents came true when I met 31-year-old Suwardi, a young entrepreneur from Labuhan Haji, South Aceh. He owns a famous fish-ball restaurant in Lamlagang, Banda Aceh, and plans to open another restaurant. He gave me a long speech on how Aceh had changed for the better.

'€œFor me, the tsunami has brought many opportunities for people who have a strong will to work hard,'€ he told me.

Suwardi lived in Kuala Lumpur during the conflict in Aceh. He escaped from being recruited as a GAM member but felt insecure in his hometown, as government soldiers were always suspicious of young Acehnese men like him. Once he graduated from high school, he escaped to Malaysia and worked for my sister in her small fish-ball restaurant.

He found a comfortable life in Malaysia, finding the country very friendly. Then the peace agreement between Indonesia and GAM in August 2005 inspired him to return home.

Although Banda Aceh has developed after the tragedy, nearby areas have not been as fortunate. One example is Krueng Raya regency in Aceh Besar, which was among the GAM strongholds wiped out by the tsunami.

I spent several hours observing Krueng Raya and I had mixed feelings. Indeed, I saw many new houses, and I know the area was totally emptied by the disaster. But the economy was not so improved. The area was still sleepy, despite several huge buildings. Surprisingly, there was a big port, though it looked abandoned.

'€œOnly a few ships anchor here,'€ said Akhyar Hamid, a resident.

Ten years after the earthquake and tsunami, Aceh has transformed from a place of conflict to a place of peace. The transformation is not perfect, as I know many people are still very poor. But the face of Aceh has changed for the better.

As Aceh now is in the hands of former rebels who have been elected to rule, let'€™s hope they can bring a better life for all Acehnese. The Acehnese know that peace was not made just because of a peace agreement signed between their leaders. They know it was also because of the disaster and some 200,000 fellow Acehnese, including friends and family, who perished or went missing in the tragedy.