Bush, Clinton View Ravaged Aceh Province

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia – Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton visited Indonesia’s tsunami-ravaged Aceh province on Sunday, flying over a vast wasteland of destruction, the likes of which Bush said he’d never seen.

The two former presidents, who are leading private U.S. tsunami aid efforts, met with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono after arriving from Thailand, where they got their first look at the devastation and grief unleashed by the Dec. 26 disaster.

Yudhoyono said he “conveyed to them the gratitude of the Indonesian people for all these donations contributed by friendly nations, by their people, and by their NGOs (non-government organizations).”

Bush and Clinton flew in U.S. military helicopters from the provincial capital Banda Aceh over a barren, desert-like landscape that was once a patchwork of rice paddies, to the village of Lampuuk, where the sole structure left standing is a large white mosque.

The village had 6,500 inhabitants before the disaster. Only 700 remain.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in my entire life. Ever,” Bush said.

He told local villagers who greeted them that, “You’re going to be OK. A lot of people around the world want to help.”

Clinton asked a villager, Akhi Sukri, what the survivors needed most. “They need everything,” Sukri replied.

“It’s almost impossible to appreciate the scope of this if you haven’t physically seen it,” Clinton said, adding it would take three to five years to complete the reconstruction effort.

Rahmayadi, who goes by one name, is among thousands of survivors left homeless by the disaster. He said his house in Lampuuk “was around this neighborhood and now it’s flattened.”

“My children and wife died and I didn’t get their bodies, so now it’s only me and two sons,” said the 53-year-old Rahmayadi, who shook hands with Clinton. “All we ask for now is shelter because we can’t live in tents forever. I will keep being patient until someone helps me.”

Bush and Clinton later flew on to the USS Fort McHenry, a vessel ferrying supplies, rice, water and clothing to shore.

The United States deployed a carrier battle group and about 20 helicopters for relief operations off Aceh’s western coast – its biggest military operation in Southeast Asia since the Vietnam War. Washington has pledged $950 million for relief efforts for tsunami-hit countries.

Bush called on Indonesia to ensure that U.S. aid money was being well spent, said a U.S. official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity.

Indonesia is among the world’s most corrupt countries, and local anti-corruption watchdogs are already alleging that officials have been siphoning aid meant for Aceh.

Yudhoyono said that transparency in distributing aid was important and that an anti-corruption stance was an important part of his election campaign.

“From their own words and their body language, they trust us in the reconstruction efforts, including accountability,” Yudhoyono said.

Bush and Clinton also asked if relief and reconstruction could be used to help restore peace in Aceh, where rebels have been fighting for independence since 1976.

Yudhoyono said he was making efforts to reach out to Acehnese and expressed support for talks with the rebels starting Monday in Finland.

The two former presidents were asked current President George W. Bush, the elder Bush’s son, to lead the U.S. effort to provide private aid to the tsunami victims. They departed later Sunday for Sri Lanka and planned to visit the Maldives on Monday.

The Bush-Clinton visit to Indonesia comes a day after Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer warned that Islamic militants were planning attacks against aid workers in Aceh. Yudhoyono, however, said there was no evidence of any threat.