GEORGE TOWN – Two decades have passed, but for former hotel worker Roslina Mohamad Yamin, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami remains an indelible scar.
The Teluk Bahang native continues to mourn her Acehnese friends, whose lives were tragically cut short by the devastating disaster.
Speaking to Scoop, Roslina, 51, recalled the harrowing sight of bodies in bags lining the roads near Pantai Miami in Batu Ferringhi in the aftermath of the tragedy.
She described the trauma of learning that some of her former colleagues, who had returned to Aceh after training with her at the Sandy Bay Paradise Hotel (now Rainbow Paradise Beach Resort) between 1995 and 2000, were among the victims.
“I grieve for them as we worked together for a long time. Even after they returned to Aceh, we stayed in touch, and I would visit them during holidays,” she said.
“I don’t know what to say other than acknowledging that it is God’s power. Some did not have proper graves, and others remain missing to this day,” she added, visibly emotional during an interview at her curry puff stall in Jalan Hassan Abas, Teluk Bahang.
Although Roslina was open to being interviewed by Scoop, she declined to be photographed or recorded on video.
Roslina said she made countless attempts to contact her friends after the tsunami, only to learn from survivors that many had either died or disappeared.
The tragedy in Aceh claimed 160,000 lives, with many buried in mass graves. Roslina visited one such grave in 2018, further deepening her sorrow.
Asked how she copes two decades later, Roslina said she prays for her lost friends and all the victims in Indonesia and Malaysia.
“Let us not look at their race or religion. At the end of the day, they are human beings. We can only pray for them as we can’t do anything else.
“God has taken them. I don’t know what else to say,” she said, fighting back tears.
Lingering trauma and fears
Roslina admitted that even now, she panics whenever she hears news of strong earthquakes in Indonesia, fearing a repeat of the disaster.
“I always think to myself: where can we escape to, surrounded as we are by the sea?
“If there is a tsunami in Penang – which I hope never happens – where else can we go but the hills?”
Her concerns are echoed by Batu Ferringhi resident Salina Yahaya, 59. Salina, who runs a beverage stall at Pantai Miami, said many locals remain traumatised by the tsunami.
“I didn’t open my stall that day because I was attending a programme at my son’s kindergarten,” she said.
Despite being away from the beach, Salina recalled feeling the tremors caused by the tsunami.
“We are afraid that the tragedy will happen again since we have experienced it before,” she said.
Penang’s resilience
The tsunami dealt a heavy blow to Penang, a state known for its beaches and vibrant tourism. However, the island showed resilience, with tourism rebounding quickly, according to former water sports operator Azmi Ibrahim, 59.
“Water sports activities continued as usual after the tsunami and remained steady until the Covid-19 pandemic,” he told Scoop.
“The pandemic was when we saw revenues take a significant dip,” he added.
The 2004 tsunami remains a painful memory for many, but it is also a testament to human resilience in the face of unimaginable loss. – December 27, 2024