GLOBAL SIKHS Aceh Mission Updates
(January 13)
By Darshan Kaur
Doctors Take Over Local Hospital
-- Global Sikhs have set up base in Sabang, Aceh
SABANG, ACEH (Wed): After four days of adventure, negotiations and countless
surveys of coastal town on Banda Aceh, the GLOBAL SIKHS relief team has
finally set-up Base Camp on Pulau Weh, an island off Banda Aceh.
The group - comprising 10 doctors and 13 other volunteers - have unloaded
the food, medical supplies and cooking utensils in Sabang, north of the
island.
According to mission spokesperson, Rajsonia Singh, the Mayor of Pulau Weh
has graciously offered his office to the relief team to use as a shelter and
warehouse to store essential supplies.
"The four doctors (out of nine) from Sabang Hospital have perished in the
recent Tsunami disaster," said Rajsonia, adding that several volunteer
doctors from the United Nations (UN) will be assisting the Global Sikhs
medical personnel to treat the injured and sick victims.
It is learnt that three refugee camps have already been set up to feed some
400 displaced and distraught Acehnese. This figure is expected to rise.
On the supply at hand, the team estimates that the food brought thus far -
initially by two yatchs, then beefed up by two cargo vessels - will only
last approximately four days, after which they will need to replenish their
supply. The mission controllers in Kuala Lumpur are already planning for
more vessels to go to Aceh.
Meanwhile, Global Sikhs Director of Operations, Harvinder Singh says that
another cargo vessel has departed from Langkawi Island at Wed noon (Jan 12).
Broken Mast, But No Broken Hearts
-- Aceh mission
PULAU WEH, ACEH: The GLOBAL SIKHS humanitarian mission is certainly having
its fair share of drama. After 28 hours at sea, from the Straits of Malacca
(Jan 7th) to the Indian Ocean, one of the vessels of the Waves of Mercy
fleet - Silolona - broke its mast on Tuesday at about 12oon, rendering its
sails useless.
"The boat can still move, but on engine only," reported one of the relief
team members via satellite phone on Tues (Jan 11) in one of their regular
communications with Command Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
"But thank God," he added, "the Indonesian Navy has agreed to help repair it
for us." It is understood that it would take approximately two to three days
to fix the mast of Sililona.
At present, there was no confirmation as to what caused the damage, but it
was probably due to the rough weather. The sea had been very choppy
following a cyclone hitting the area.
The 23-member relief volunteer team, on the other hand, are in high spirits
and not too worried about the mast as they are busy unloading supplies from
the various vessels to commence relief work on the island.
