It is an old cliche, but there may be good reason why the Chinese word for "crisis" consists of characters that mean "danger" as well as "opportunity." The earthquake and tsunami that devastated many South Asian communities in the last week of 2004 are truly a "crisis" for Indonesia. The danger is obvious: The tragedy is a humanitarian disaster and providing relief is a formidable challenge for newly elected President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
But there is also an opportunity. The need to get relief to hard-hit Aceh province provides the Jakarta government with an opening to discuss with guerrillas fighting for independence in that region as well as a chance to repair its relations with Western governments concerned about human rights violations in the province.
The magnitude 9.0 earthquake that hit Dec. 26 had its epicenter in Aceh province. It is estimated that more than 100,000 people were killed in the region and as many as 1 million left homeless, but its geographic remoteness and political isolation make accurate statistics hard to come by.