T

wenty-eight-year-old Khalil began sobbing as a jumbotron in the center of Blang Padang field in Banda Aceh, Aceh, displayed a video showing the condition of the province 10 years ago, shortly after it was flattened by the massive Boxing Day tsunami.

The father of two, who grew up in Bireuen, a city located about 200 kilometers east of Banda Aceh, said the video reminded him of his experience as a volunteer who helped people affected by the natural
disaster.

'€œI quickly traveled to Banda Aceh after I heard about the tsunami,'€ Khalil, who now lives in the city, told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

'€œI witnessed thousands of dead bodies left untreated and how many survivors had to deal with deep emotional trauma. It is difficult for me to wipe out such a memory.'€

Khalil was not the only person touched by the video, which was played during the middle part of a ceremony to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami that devastated the country'€™s westernmost province.

Among the thousands of people who attended the ceremony, many could not hold back their tears when the video was playing.

Others were sobbing uncontrollably, when Acehnese musician Rafly and poet Taufiq Ismail took turns while singing a rendition of a traditional Acehnese song and reading poetry about the devastating effects of the tsunami on the local people.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who led the ceremony, also appeared to be very moved by the video.

'€œI was also in tears when watching the video,'€ Kalla, who was also serving as vice president when the tsunami hit Aceh, said in his remarks.

'€œI was once asked why I did not cry at that time [after the tsunami]. I said if I also cried, who else would want to keep holding back tears and work to help everyone here?'€

The earthquake and tsunami that hit Aceh on Dec. 26, 2004, killed more than 120,000 people and displaced more than 800,000 others.

The disaster, however, also helped end a three-decade separatist conflict that had killed 15,000 people, when commanders of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) agreed in mid-2005 to a peace accord signed in Helsinki, Finland.

Kalla had played an instrumental role in brokering the peace deal.

Apart from the government-sponsored commemoration, which invited representations from dozens of donor countries and international organizations, smaller events were also independently held by local residents in many parts of the city, including in mosques and in mass graveyards where the local administrations in the province had interred tsunami victims.

Nurhayati, a tsunami survivor who lost many family members in the disaster, including her husband and children, joined a mass prayer at the Ulee Lheue group grave, which contains more than 14,000 bodies.

'€œI believe my children were buried here. I always come here and pray for them on every important occasion, such as today,'€ she said.

Ulee Lheue resident Zulkifli, who also joined the prayer, recalled how the tsunami had forced many local residents to deal with many changes.

'€œThe tsunami had devastated all the aspects of life [Acehnese people]. But, we witnessed significant changes after that,'€ he said.

Not everyone, however, was impressed with how the post-disaster situation had been handled.

House of Representatives member Nasir Djamil of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) claimed that today, 10 years after the disaster, there are still many people living in temporary shelters.

'€œWhy are there still some [living in temporary shelters]? I am saddened and appalled by this situation,'€ Nasir said after holding a dialogue with tsunami victims in Bakhoy, Ingin Jaya district, Aceh Besar regency.

Nasir, who represents the Aceh I electoral district, which includes Aceh Besar regency, said he would forward the issue to the House and make it his priority. He said he hoped that the administration of President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo would soon find a solution to the problem.