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Subscribe to RSSA girl who was believed to have been swept away by a massive tsunami that devastated coastlines in Asia has reportedly shown up alive, nearly seven years to the day after she vanished.
Indonesian state news agency Antara reported the girl, named only as Wati, was aged eight when she was ripped from her mother's arms by the rushing waters near her home in West Aceh, Indonesia, in December 2004. Her mother, Yusniar, was trying to get her and two other children to safety at the time.
Antara reported Wednesday that the girl's grandfather, Ibrahim, met a teenager who had traveled from another region, Banda Aceh, saying she was trying to find her way home.
The girl said she could not remember any of her relatives' names apart from one -- Ibrahim, Antara said.
He became convinced the girl was Wati, and her parents also later identified the girl as their daughter by a small mole and a scar over her eyebrow, Antara said.
It added that reporters were not immediately told what had happened to the girl during the time she was away.
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...what a determined young woman...after all of that trauma, she made it home again...very heartwarming!
A Festivus miracle!
That's a great story to hear - kudos to MSNBC for posting it!
If true, this story certainly qualifies as a Feat of Strength.
Lets just hope that she doesn't begin her festivus return with the airing of grievances. That would put a damper on the reunion.
What a wonderful story. I wish this girl and her family a life time of happiness together.
It's not only against the odds that she survived, but the fact that she survived after being swept away far enough that she remained lost, more or less, for seven years is incredible. Hopefully, there's more to come and it's all good; wandering back after that long makes me wonder what happened all that time, if she was free to look for family, etc... .
Ha ha, thanks for the hearty laughs Armando and Alex, always nice to be able to combine a remarkable story with Seinfeld.
On a serious note, I always wondered what had happened to that little Japanese boy that was searching for his family after the quake/tsunami, there was a lot of press on him there, him and his little sign...
I see a new Lifetime original movie coming soon on this story.
It's so nice to hear good news. She is a brave and determined individual.
I laughed when I read your post Vegas_Rage and laughed even harder when I read it out loud and my husband said "nah, not enough man bashing"
Glad this girl made it home finally.
She should celebrate Festivus with a nice tall glass of Ovaltine. And what IS the deal with Ovaltine, anyway?? The jar is round, the glass is round...they should call it Round-tine.
It's gold, LL, gold!
If true, this story certainly qualifies as a Feat of Strength.
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Here's hoping the additional details of the story don't resemble the Airing of Grievances ;)
Dang, I didn't see Alex-2442573's comment 1.4. Well said, sir or madam! And please pardon what looks like shameless plagiarism in 1.13. Happy Festivus to all!
This sounds almost too good to be true, but I hope it is true! Great story! Not many of these in the aftermath of the tsunami.
I know these stories are not about me, yet I cannot help but reflect on how very, very fortunate I have been and how I am now. I hope she remains in the arms of loving people.
You're right this is not about you.
What a heart warming story, especially during the during the Christmas season.
I do know that the majority of Indonesia is Muslim and the likelihood of anyone celebrating Christmas in Indonesia is very very slim but it doesn't mean this small miracle can't warm our delicate hearts during the Holiday season.
I don't think it's slim that at least someone is celebrating Christmas - but yes, probably not her or her family. Regardless, so happy for them!
A true miracle from Allah for the Christmas season.
I can't believe they left it at that! Where was she? How did she survive? How far did the water take her? Who was raising her? C'mon MSNBC, tell us the rest of the story!
I KNOW The story left me wanting more! but what a nice ending that she finally made it home. I bet her family is ecstatic to have her back
Like other parts of South East Asia, Indonesia has a problem with the sex slave trade, many of those children. Children were extremely vulnerable after the Tsunami, many losing their entire family, and others lost, only to be kidnapped and traded, while families searched, and later, believed them dead. If this happened to her, I am sure her and her family are in no hurry to tell the world that. Give it time, and maybe they'll release it to the press. However, they are under no obligation to do so, especially if something that horrible happened to her.
From the article: "It added that reporters were not immediately told what had happened to the girl during the time she was away."
But, I too am eager to learn the rest of the story.
She was no doubt used as a child prostitute. Starved for days and beat repeatedly. Only after tunneling her way out of her small cage was she able to run to freedom. Who cares, we don't even know if she is their daughter. Maybe she was mis-identified so the family could increase their government welfare check....Mine is a much more intriguing story.
No, yours is just the spin of a cynical tool ...
I agree with Todd. We need more information.
Not to detract from how amazing this story would be if it's true, but I'd really like to see some independent verification before going nuts over it.
Yes, I am definitely reserving some amazement for later. You sure hope its true though.
I am with you. I remember all the press this woman (the mother) got right after the event. I have friends and family that worked with the relief and recovery effort with the local governements on behalf of the US government. Trust me when I say that for years that region was covered with aid workers helping victims for a thousand miles. An 8 yr old knows their name, their parents name, their home town, etc. The fact that after almost eight years this child never told someone, my name is this, I lived here and my parents names are this is, well, odd.
Feeling pretty glad for the girl.
She was raised by dolphins in a magical kingdom under the sea. She became a mermaid but lost her fins because she really belonged on the land kingdom and...well...nah, I'll just wait for more information.
What a wonderful story! "Her name was Flipper, Flipper......washed out like lightning."
What a journey that must have been!
One less of the some 230,000 people killed that day.
Time it took for total world human population to rebound from that loss: slightly more than ... 1 day.
What is that comment all about? That we replaced 230,000 killed before their time in just one day so it was no big deal? C'mon man!
Well there's a non sequitur with rather disturbing implications...
This is heartwarming!!
To all you cynics: Peee off!!!
I for one am glad to hear some good news for a change!!!
I wonder if Maury is available to do a DNA test. All kidding aside, I'm happy for the family, and hope they truly did find their little girl.
The article said she had a mole and a scar near her eye. It's got to be her!
Interestingly, so do I, so they could adopt me, except for the fact that I'm way too old and not Indonesian.
She was eight years old at the time, yet doesn't know the names of her mother and father? Tremendous trauma probably caused amnesia, I realize, but she knew her home village and her grandfather's name? We definitely need a follow up story. I smell a book and movie deal on the horizon for this Indonesian girl.
When I was 8 years old, I knew my parents names - mommy and daddy. I did know my address and phone number because mommy and daddy had drilled it into me along with my own full name when I started school. Not sure when I figured out my parents actually had names.
Unusual:: I did too, but then I hadn't been swept out to sea by a tsunami and suffered repercussions from it. I remembered my dad's name, even tho he wasn't with us at that time. WW2 kinda interrupted things for us three gals.
I also knew my parents names, description and address. Yet, had I been found...I might have conveniently forgot them. And, that ain't no lie!
Just sayin'...
"unusual"....if you were 8 years old and knew your parents only as 'mommy' and 'daddy', you obviously also road the short bus while wearing a helmet with a matching bib. our 3 year old knows our names, first and last and the city in which she lives.
ROFLMAO.... Well said.
What a wonderful story for a change. She was really determined to get home.
A book and a movie deal? Like the one the kids in Slumdog Millionaire got? Exploitation is what it would amount to. Leave her with her family. That should be enough, material things are far less important than matters of the heart and soul.
Wasn't George Bush blamed for the tsunami?
No, for the piss-poor reaction to Katrina...
He had his "frowny face" on justice. I mean "Brownie was doing a hella good job".
Sorry about the duhhhhhhhhhhhh.
I don't think W was specifically blamed, but the US was for not warning them about it.
Never mind that we don't track geologic events in that part of the world.....
To the best of my knowledge, the Tsunami Warning System was set up for just the Pacific Ocean. Most of the damage from this tsunami was in coasts of the Indian Ocean. I believe that, after the tsunami, the warning system was to be extended to cover the Indian Ocean, but I do not know whether this happened, or not. There is no coverage for the Atlantic Ocean, however.
The question remains: Where is Gilligan and the Skipper?
I want to believe this... but there are no facts in this story. And try as I might, I can't make sense of the last line - "It added that reporters were not immediately told what had happened to the girl during the time she was away." huh? This whole article is very high-school newspaperish. Sorry to be a downer folks - I'll delete this post when I see the DNA tests.
You mean birth certificate.
What makes you think that DNA tests will be done or that you have any right to see the results, if they were?
Odium, children were extremely vulnerable to the child sex slave trade after the Tsunami. If that is what happened to her, I don't blame her, or her family in not wanting to release that to the public.
She was swept away at 8 years old and now at approximately age 15 she's still wandering the countryside searching for her family? Nah!
StephAce - If a girl is forced to work in the sex trades she is still considered a whore in Islam and must, therefore, be stoned. Welcome home.
winker-1553407
I do know that the majority of Indonesia is Muslim and the likelihood of anyone celebrating Christmas in Indonesia is very very slim but it doesn't mean this small miracle can't warm our delicate hearts during the Holiday season.
That is total bull Winker I'm an American living in Indonesia, Have been doing social work for 8 years here, and lots of people celebrate Christmas.
Contrary to belief Muslims and Christians get along just fine here, and tolerate each other peacefully. What you do hear about are in remote areas and not an everyday thing, they are sporadic isolated incidents.
The only Muslims that agree with hate and terrorism here are the radicals (we have so called Christian radicals too who are just as bad) the rest of us just want peace (Muslims and Christians). So unless you live here, get your facts straight before mouthing off.
By the way I am a Christian and I work with Muslim people all the time all of them hate terrorism also and we celebrate Idul Fitri and Ramadan as well as Christmas here. we get both holidays and everyone gets along.
hear, hear!
Sure Miff, its all good until you get an IED shoved up your arse! Please stay in Indonesia... you and your bull winker.
Thanks, MiffleZwip, for your enlightened response. Always nice to see facts here!
so, she was seperated from her mother in 2004, and decided she would go under cover and live it up for about 7 years, which is how long it took for the people who were financing her party, got sick of paying for her, so then, when she found out she was going to have to get a job, she ran home to mommy.
pretty much the same story as the OWS.
What an assinine assumption, she's still only 15 now...I doubt an 8 years old would be thrilled to be separated from her mum & siblings and on her own...good grief. I surmised she may have had a pretty bad bump on the head. Most of us send our best wishes to the girl and her family for a happy reunion. Remember Indonesia is close to one of the worst areas on the planet as far as the child slave sex trade. Who knows what might have been happening to her all this time.
I wondered how long it would take for someone to drag OWS into this.
Never mind that it's totally irrelevant.
Finally a story that makes you feel good after weeks of bad and depressing news!!!
Divine providence suggests she is the next Dalai Lama.
I will bet she has enough material for a book or two from her travels. If she handles it right, she could make herself very wealthy, especially if one of her books gets made into a movie!
I wish her the best of luck!
I hate to be such a pessimist but honestly, I doon't believe this. I could absolutely be wrong (and I hope I am), but there is so much flawed logic here. Barring brain damage that could have occured through injury during the tsunami, there is no way an 8 year would be unable to remember things like the names of their family members. Memory crafting can begin as early as 2, but usually around 3 or 4. That's just an average brain, not even one of superior intelligence. She would remember the name of her family, where she lived and what happened to her. Also, it doesn't take 7 years to get from any one place to another. Did she just wake up amonth ago and decide she wanted to go home? I understand the family "identified" here but grief stricken people are prone to making themselves believe things. I can't say if my daughter was presumed dead and then miraculously "found" almost 8 years later that I wouldn't make myself believe it were true either. Somebody need sto provide genetic testing before perpetuating this story any further.
LBILL. If she was used in the child sex trade, trauma like that could explain the lose of memory. Also, if she managed to pay her way out, or escaped, could explain why it took her so long to come home.
In addition if she was in the child sex trade the time would have equalled half her lifetime. With the right physcololgical conditioning and abuse it would be easy to forgot who you are ( or rather who you used to be.)
So glad to read this. I hope the rest of their lives are happier. The Tsunami that killed all of those people right after Christmas in 2004 is one of the worst tragedies that I has happened during my lifetime.