Tsunami Brings Chance for Peace

Aceh, an isolated province in Indonesia and Tamil Nadu in Sri Lanka have allowed the administrations they have been struggling with for independence to distribute humanitarian aid to their regions, which have been heavily damaged by the disaster. The Free Aceh Movement (GAM), which has been struggling for independence of Aceh, the province in the north of Sumatra Island of Indonesia, and the government mutually called for ceasefire. At least 13,000 people have died in clashes in the region since 1976.

The Tamil Eelam Tigers, who have been struggling for independence in the northern and eastern parts of the Sri Lanka have also declared that they would make things easier for humanitarian aids to reach the region and they are ready to cooperate with the government on this issue. It is predicted that 65,000 people have died throughout the clashes between Colombo administration and the Tamils since 1983.

Disasters have frequently been the catalyst to broker peace in entrenched conflicts throughout the world. The earthquakes which occurred in the Marmara region on August 17th 1999 and then in Athens three weekslater led to mutual aid between Turkey and Greece, and this situation had softened the relations between the two countries. Other similar examples are:

The Taiwan Earthquake on September 21st, 1999: About 2000 people died. The Chinese government aided Taiwan, which it views as a rebellious province.

November 11th, 2001: After the Michelle tornado hit Central America, the US gave aid to Cuba.

January 26th, 2001: After the earthquake in India, Pakistan gave aid to the country with which it has fought three times.

June 22nd 2002 and December 26th 2003: After thousands were killed in earthquakes, the US gave humanitarian aid to Iran, which it considers a part of the ‘axis of evil’.

Severe drought in the North Korea in 1995 led to South Korean aid for its hostile neighbor.