It’s been a really tough week packed only with disappointment, dismay and frustration greeting us at every turn. A Royal Malaysian Navy vessel with a capacity of 2,000 tonnes was supposed to depart on January 20th. We were promised an allocation of 200 tonnes of space for POHD goods to be shipped to Lhokseumawe, where our Indonesian contacts, a coalition of 28 local NGOs called FORUM LSM would have received the goods and distributed fairly to the 25 relief centres they run in Ljokseumawe, Sigli, Aceh Besar and Banda Aceh.

The vessel never appeared and attempts to secure a confirmed date proved futile. It appears they will not come.

What followed was a merry-go-round of phone calls, faxes and meetings as we went knocking from door to door to every available shipper and freight forwarder on the island. From ludicrous vessel charges of RM50,000 to demands that we provide protection for the vessel in the “pirate-infested” waters and outright rejections, we have had our hopes buoyed and dashed again and again . . . a real roller-coaster ride for our emotions. According to one source, we sounded “overly desperate” and word had leaked out that we were stranded, hence the cut-throat quotations. Despite several strong “cables” being pulled and tugged – our contacts in the state government, it seemed all came to naught.

10:00am – 8:00pm Venue: Penang Diocesan Centre

Most relief supplies are packed and awaiting the next shipment. Unfortunaltely the Navy vessel never turned up. Joachim begins looking frantically for alternatives.

Continuation - cooking of salt fish, anchovies, sambal and tempeh for Aceh. Ten Caucasian student volunteers from Uplands International School lent their hands and joked and laughed through their labour despite “dying” from the pungent smells of the dried salt fish, sambal (read belacan, garlic and onions in chilli!) and fermented soya bean tempeh.

Tuesday, 18th January 2005

10:00am – 8:00pm Venue: Penang Diocesan Centre

Operation/Collection centre:
-More packing and labeling of goods.
-Paletting of boxes.

Navy vessel delayed. Everyone very disapointed.

-Continuation - cooking of salt fish, anchovies, sambal and tempeh for Aceh.

Fr Fabian presented activities of the operation centre and also a summary of the tsunami relief fund donations and expenses to the clergy at the Presbyterium meeting.

Monday, 17th January 2005

10:00am – 8:00pm Venue: Penang Office for Human Development

Operation/Collection centre:
- More packing and labeling of goods.

- Paletting of boxes at Penang Diocesan Centre.

- Lorries unable to unload goods at Warehouse due to congestion and lack of space.

Cooking preserved food for Achenese
- 10 volunteers began cooking sambal, salt fish, anchovies and tempeh for Acehnese. “Chief cook” was a friend’s Indonesian maid who, together with four volunteers, stayed up till 4am cooking the first batch of food targeted to feed the victims on Hari Raya Qurban, giving them a high-protein “feast” after the two weeks of constant instant noodle diet. Midnight candle burned because shipment was due the loading on board a navy vessel the next day.

 

Sunday, 16th January 2005

10:00am – 8:00pm Venue: Penang Diocesan Centre

Operation/Collection centre:
- Stopped receiving clothes. Too much have been received.

-More packing of relief supplies
-Many volunteers came to help.

Venue: Warehouse
- More palleting of goods in warehouse.

Fr Fabian continued his projection of pix to parishioners who attended:
- 10:00am mass at Assumption Church
- 11:15am Tagalog mass at OLS
- 6:00pm BM mass at Holy Spirit