by Mulyanda     

    BANDA ACEH, Indonesia, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- People in Indonesia's Aceh province are to remember modestly the second year of the tsunami on Tuesday that devastated coastal areas of the province in northern tip of the country's Sumatra island.

    The predominantly Muslim province will commemorate the horrible memory of two years ago in much religious way, by performing mass praying for good for the spirit of the death tolls and the sustainability of the newly-achieved peace, Aceh provincial spokesman Hamid Zein said.

    Afterwards it would be followed by sermon and going to pilgrimage on the mass graves of those killed in the catastrophe, he said.

    "The anniversary is to be simple, it will be carried out in the Mosque Baiturahman. We will perform a mass praying and then followed by a sermon. Afterwards visiting mass grave in Ulele," he told Xinhua.

    All houses will raise half mast the red and white national flag for a condolence on those could not survive when the giant wave triggered by 8.7 magnitude earthquake struck coastal areas of the province two years ago.

    Over 170,000 people were dead or missing and more than a half million people were made homeless.

    The catastrophe had awakened international solidarity, volunteers and financial assistance came into the northern tip of Indonesia's Sumatra island.

    Donor countries have pledged to province 7.1 billion U.S. dollars for the reconstruction and rehabilitation in Aceh, over 5.9 of the amount has been allocated to the relief programs in the restive Aceh province, according to the Head of the Aceh Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency Kuntoro Mangkusubroto.

    He said that the disbursement indicated the trust of international to the province in the one of most corrupt country.

    Despite complicated of the problems in recovering the devastated oil-and-gas-rich province, Mangkusubroto said that housing has been put on the top priority.

    More than 50,000 unit houses out of 128,000 units planned to be built have been already accomplished. In March next year the agency targeted to deliver over 79,000 units, he said.

    But still 11,703 families, survivors of the tsunami, lives in barracks in many spots of the province, he said.

    The agency set up after the catastrophe carries out four year-relief works.

    There have been much progress after half of the period, but there are still many needs to be achieved.

    Dispute on the land ownership, and lack of coordination among local officials are among the hindrances for the agency to carry out work, said the head of the agency.

    Some said that reintegration between the former rebel and civilian was also overshadowing the sustainability of the peace.

    Former rebel spokesman Bachtiar Abdullah told Xinhua that the smooth of the payments of the compensation for the former members of the separatist group was one of the way to pave the partial reintegration.

    The Indonesian government has decided to pay 25 million rupiah (over 2,500 U.S. dollars) for each of some 3,000 ex-rebel combatants and 10 million rupiah for each of some 6,000 ex-rebel non-combatants. The funds aim to finance them to begin new business for new life.

    The province has just conducting a landmark first direct gubernatorial election to cement the peace deal between the separatist Free Aceh Movement and government on August 2005 in Helsinki Finland to terminate a three-decade bloodshed that had left over 15,000 of lives, most of them civilian.

    Acehneses hopes the agreement of the two sides could bring a lasting peace and relief work can support the economic development in the rebellious province of Aceh.

    The temporary result of the quick count suggested that former rebel Irwandi Yusuf will be the new Aceh governor. He will be challenged by managing a huge share of 70 percent of the province resources for a long-waited prosperity for Acehnese.

    Acehneses who got houses assisted from the donors were happy and gratitude to the donors, but those who are now still living in barracks still need to be patience waiting for their turn to get the assistance.

    "I thank to the foreign countries, because I can live in my own house otherwise I have to rent a house which price ten million rupiah (some 1,000 U.S. dollars) a year, a huge number for taxi driver like me," said Bang Yus, whose house was leveled by the tsunami.

    On the sides of some roads, the Turk flag are raised to welcome the Vice Prime Minister of the country on Tuesday, according to Spokesman Hamid.

    The vice prime minister Abdullah Gul will inaugurate the Turk assistance of 1,000 unit houses for the survivors of the tsunami, said Hamid.