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AP
Wati, second from right, poses for a photograph with her rediscovered family in Meulaboh, Aceh province, Indonesia, on Friday. The 15-year-old says she remembers her father putting her into a boat with her sister following the Dec. 26, 2004, tsunami.
A girl who was swept away in the Indian Ocean tsunami seven years ago said Friday that she broke down in tears after tracking down her parents, who had long lost hope of finding her alive.
Wati, 15, showed up earlier this week at a cafe in Meulaboh, a town in Aceh province, saying she had been "adopted" by a woman who forced her to beg in the streets, sometimes until 1 a.m.
The teen said she could only remember her grandfather's name, saying it was Ibrahim. Someone at the cafe tracked down a man by that name, and the man — unsure if it was actually his granddaughter — quickly summoned her parents.
"When I saw my mother, I knew it was her. I just knew it," said Wati, who was given that name by the woman who found her. Her original name is Meri Yuranda.
Indonesian state news agency Antara reported on Thursday that the girl 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.
It said her mother, Yusniar, was trying to get her and two other children to safety at the time.
The Dec. 26, 2004, tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen nations hit Aceh — closest to the epicenter of the magnitude-9.1 quake that spawned waves 30 feet high — the hardest.
On Friday, The Associated Press said Wati had been kicked out by her "adopted" mother when she stopped bringing in money.
'She has her father's face'
With tens of thousands of bodies never recovered in the province, many people continue to cling to hope of finding lost loved ones, putting up fliers or ads in newspapers.
Reunions, however, are extremely rare and, when they occur, rarely confirmed.
Wati's mother, Yusniar binti Ibrahim Nur, 35, said she did not need a DNA test to prove the girl was hers.
"She has her father's face," she said, adding that she had stopped believing she would ever see her daughter again. "Then I saw the scar over her eye and mole on her hip, and I was even more sure."
Wati and her father had different accounts of what happened on the day of the tsunami.
The girl says she remembers her father putting her into a boat with her sister, who is still missing and presumed dead. The father says that before the family was separated, he put both of his daughters on the roof of their house.
The Associated Press and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.
Leave a Comment:
Hope the people holding her hostage and made her beg in the streets all of these years are criminally prosecuted. Glad to see through all of this she finally did make it home to her family.
You're so American. Prosecution? She's no Elizabeth Smart for chrimany's sake. They're just happy she's alive.
Maybe in America. But as is the case in a large part of the world, begging is the ONLY option to survive. Grimly at best. You beg or die. Merry Christmas.
That's unfortunately very true, Picard. I traveled to several developing countries with the army and sadly enough, the streets were filled with children selling cigarettes and cologne or begging for money. They were always dirty very unkempt. Even the poorest children here in the US have it way better than they do.
Little match girl story anyone?
Is everyone missing the fact that this girl was 9 years old when the tsunami hit, but the article states she didn't remember ANY of her family's names except her grandfather's first name? Did she hit her head or something or is there something seriously wrong with the way they raise kids over there? Oh wait, they use their children as suicide bombers in that part of the world so, forget I asked.
good for her
Thanks to God the one and only she's back.
Would that be the same god who ripped her from her mother's arms and led her to the woman who used and abused her for years?
Retired SFC,
"Hope the people holding her hostage and made her beg in the streets all of these years are criminally prosecuted."
This reminds me of the wicked stepmother of fairytale fame, although there may have been some justification for it.
homesick yank ... that is the absolute stupidest piece of crap rhetoric I have ever heard from anyone. You need to stay away from America ... and maybe "God" will just make you sicker and sicker you troll!
Homesick yank - great post!
homesick yank... I can see why 'don of the rockies' might think that you are nothing more than an atheist troll; however, I have more "faith" in you than that. I believe you are possibly a dedicated atheist and I challenge you to prove it buy trashing Islam. If you are true to your cause, then you will publicly mock Mohamed and draw pictures of him etc. Come on, I know you can do it.
donfitness, what are you talking about doing? Your post makes absoluting no sense. The One, no matter which faith you believe in gives us trails of survival. Maybe this girl is meant to do greater things for her people, like Gandi.
If your god likes what you like, and condemns what you dislike, that's the single most irrefutable argument there is that man created god. The world will be a much better place when we finally grow up enough to uncreate him/her/it.
Well said, Lindsay! You rock!
Lindsay: I got on here to merely read these comments out of curiosity, but I can't let yours go by. You have fallen into the "misinformation trap" that comes from listening to others less intelligent than yourself and not caring to check things out through proper channels.
Christians and muslims do not worship the same God. The islamic religion does not recognize Jesus Christ as the Son of God, they call him an earthly prophet. There is zero connection between Allah and God.
One more thing, what is the name of the encyclepodia you use?
imnotlost, you are mistaken. Muslims do worship the same god as Christians. The same god that is said to exist in the Old Testament. Christians believe their prophet, Christ is the son of God and Muslims do not. That does not mean they don't believe in the same god, just not the supposed offspring.
Donfisness, I am an Atheist and believe in NO GOD and NO Religion. If there is a god, then all he has to do is show a TRUE miracle (as define as something IMPOSSIBLE not IMPROBABLE). Funny that no red sea partings have occurred in the era of communication devices.
How did this turn into a religious debate? Isn't this about a girl who was lost during the tsunami and found by her parents years later? If there is anything to rejoice, shouldn't that be it? Another thing, if someone wants to thank God or not, why is anyone jumping on them for it? What ever happened to live and let live? Peace people. Peace.
I have to agree with Lindsay. I have taken several religion classes. God, Allah, Jehovah are the same God worshipped in different ways. These religions differ mostly in who they believe their prophet or saviour is. For me it is Jesus for Muslim, Muhammad.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.
Lindsey, I agree w/ you completing. I'm Pagan by the way and I do believe in spells. If "imnotlost" as ever read the Quaran, I don't remember which passage, but Mohammad says "Their God is our God, so we must respect the others for they pray to the same God we do."
Imnotlost, please go educate yourself on the worlds religions and their bases of being and do not impose your beliefs in others. You will find all ways of believing say the same thing in different ways.
It's a perfectly reasonable question to ask, "If God is 'Love', then why does he allow such wickedness to exist; why does he allow murder, rape, genocide, natural disasters, etc...?" I used to wonder the same thing. I can say this. God is not testing us. He is not causing these things to happen and He will be doing something about it soon. The next time a Jehovah's Witness comes to your door. Ask them this question and give them a chance to answer from the Bible.
Lindsay - Imnotlost is correct 'Christians and muslims do not worship the same God'! Muslims walked away from the Jewish/Christian, one and only, God. With that walk, their god became lower case and they became just another worshippers of false gods.
As for you Lindsay, you can believe or not believe in anything. That's your right and my God (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit) has given you that right and we call that choice. The major difference in all this is that when we die and are held accountable, I will be sent to Heaven for my choices and you will be separated from me. I love you and would like for us to be together but your chosen choice was yours not mine. I'll be sad but God will wash away all my hurt, pain and loneliness for our separation but it will have been your choice.
Yes, Lindsay, God does allow terrible things to happen and yes it appears as a big game sometimes but it's not. There is something going on between God and satan that I can't explain. I would think it's some kind of covenant God has with satan that would be similar to the covenant God has with Abraham. Both will be honored. God does not make a covenant lightly. However, if you like to read a great novel and love the wonderful ending provided by the author, just wait for this worlds ending. It will literally knock your socks off. Yes, I've read about it and would love to spoil your surprise but I can tell that you are not ready for it. However, if you ever want, I would be more than happy to share the ending with you. There are more than one possible endings and you can chose the one you like best. However, as you know, should you die prior to getting to the ending, you will not be able to chose the ending for yourself. If that happens, I can tell you with certainty, that you are really going to be in aw of it or is it Shock and Aw of it?
So many can't see the wonders for wondering what they can't see...
Homesick Yank, yes the same God that brought her home ripped her from her parents arms. I don't exactly know His reasons, but I know for sure that God works in our lives, because He has worked the same way in mine. I also know that it is the absolute height of life when one learns that. God has completely changed my life and while I still suffer from the things of life, God has grown and shown me things that I could have otherwise never have hoped for. Imagine for instance the devotion to family that this young girl has learned and if you've been to Indonesia you do realize the need for that. Still I don't pretend to know God's reasons.
Unfortunately Lindsay and Catspaw you are both still misinformed. Yes the God of Abraham. but a completely different path to that one God. While I would never bring this up, I would ask Catspaw what kind of education you have? I have studied world religions and I would ask you to show me where the Qu'ran says that. With that said may God richly bless you at this time of celebrating the birth of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ.
Ahhh, so many "experts".
Relax people. If you believe in God, good for you. If you don't, good for you.
Merry Christmas
BDK...
I just lost brain cells reading your post...Oh, wait, "brain cells" comes from science and we all know one cannot prove scientific theory.
You believe in a book, written by a man, with no provable points. But you do not believe in a book written by men with provable results? Your logic just baffles me!
I am all for opening our minds and continued learning, but c'mon. Do you listen to yourself?
BDK, your words are filled with anger and hatred. One of my Mom's favorite passages from the Bible is "God is within, Heaven is at hand, and we live hell; for hell is were the rapists, murders and warmongers live." Think about this words and what they are saying and judge only yourself.
I am a Deist, I believe there is a/are Creator/s who has nothing to do with our day to day life. That said Jewish people, followers of Paul(Jesus of Nazareth NEVER told anyone to create another religion) and Muslims all worship the same Creator. All of their religions worship the god of Abraham. Allah means god, which means the same way you say 'God' they are saying it in a different language.
@ Lindsay-284184
You do rock......I'm always ammused when those of faith get riled up by the application of logic in the analysis of religon. They just can't stand it! :)
This discussion reminds me of the George Carlin piece on god. Check it out, it's hilarious:
Lindsay: Do some googling "is the Christian God the same God of Islam?" and read a few different websites. I won't be here the rest of the day to discuss this but would love to know if you found where "to deny that Jesus Christ is the Son of God is to deny the deity of Christ and therefore the existence of God". Not in those words of but in that sense. Let me know, I'll be back late this evening.
Won't let me post the link here, so just do a search on "George Carlin on God." Too funny.
Lindsay,
"So I assume that you, imnotlost, also believe that Christians and Jews worship different gods? How do you explain that?"
imnotlost must be a polytheist. If Christians, Jews and Muslims worship different gods, that means there must exist a plurality of gods, which I think is heresy even by Christian standards. I say even by Christian standards because many Muslims do consider Christians polytheists because of the doctrine of the Trinity which they find incomprehensible.
All you non-beleevers, atheists, etc if you don't believe that Jesus is the son of God and that He died on the cross for your sins, is going straight to Hell.
Judd,
That's a rather empty threat since non-believers in Jesus as the Son of God are also non-believers in the existence of hell. So it is only you believers who need to worry about hell.
I don't believe Jesus is the son of a god. I believe he was a good Jewish man who studied with Rabbi's and followers of the Gnostic faith(Jewish sect). I believe that Jesus wanted everyone to go back to their Jewish roots and throw all the more modern rites and rituals(Noahide Laws). Saul/Paul took his teaching and ran with them. You do realize that early 'Christians' didn't have the belief that Jesus was the literal son of god. That wasn't even established until almost 800 years after the death of Jesus. But of course during your religious studies you would also know that Mary the mother of Jesus wasn't a virgin when he was born, that the translation of the Aramaic word was mistranslated...it read 'young woman'.
Scripture says that Isaac is the child of promise and from him would come the Son of God.
Ishmael was a son of Abram, but not THE son that God promised him. That was Sarai's doing. She got impatient.
The Jews are God's chosen people. Jesus is a Jew. From Jesus came Chritianity.
Islam is NOT, nor has been or will be anything from Almighty God. Allah is a two-bit moon god.
Incorrect, the area previously worshiped a moon god. When Mohammad spoke with 'god' he then brought those people to the god of Abraham....the Jewish/Christian god. They all follow the god of Abraham and will state that Mohammad is the last prophet to bring the word of god. it is believed that god's message became diluted/changed over the ages, which is why the Quran is not allowed to be changed in any way. People please read before spewing nonsense. Study the another religion instead of repeating falsehoods regarding said religion
Seriously? Lindsay (and others), you may get the best of these lightweights, but that doesn't make you right. Semantics matters. Definitions matter. Saying you worship "the God of Abraham" may mean you worship the "same god" in one sense, but to say that Christians and Muslims actually worship the same god in MANY other senses is patently absurd. You claim logic to be on your side, but then claim that A = B, simply because someone happens to call B, "A". Nice try, but you're not as smart as you think you are, no matter how brilliant winning debates with unsophisticated theists makes you feel. Christian truth is what it is, inspite of your claims to have outsmarted it. Merry Christmas.
Lindsay, I was with you up until the claim that Muslims pre-date the time of Jesus. That is simply historically incorrect. This statement is like saying that Americans pre-date the revolution. The Arab people who were to embrace Islam may pre-date the time of Jesus, but the religion does not. Islam was founded by Muhammed in the early 7th century -- that's the 600s, or 600 years after the time of Jesus. Muhammed tapped into an older religious tradition, going back and re-imagining the Old Testament and interpreting it in light of his new religious belief system, finding a genealogical links to the Judaic traditions to root his new faith in -- but these links were all made retroactively. Whether one believes these links and the connection to events that happened long before the time of Jesus is irrelevant in this discussion. The reality is, the religion did not exist until it was founded -- 600 years after the time of Jesus -- even though it's founder placed it's roots even farther back in an older tradition. Therefore, Muslims (as in adherents to the religion of Islam) did not exist long before Jesus. Their Arab ancestors did, but those ancestors were not Muslims themselves.
It's so difficult to judge the woman who forced her to beg. What would have happened to her otherwise? Basically, she was working for her lodgings. Was the woman rich, and didn't need the additional money. It could have been worse. She could have been pimped out, become a drug mule, become a "permanent" maid ( as in Haiti, where rich Dominicans promise to educate poor Haitian children, thenmal treat them like slaves.). The woman could have killed her in spite. She's truly very lucky.
No really, it is easy to judge the woman that forced her to beg! In any society, if you take in a child then you should take care of them without the expectation that they will "earn their keep" An 8yr old child should absolutely NOT be expected to do so.
Rationalizing the treatment of this girl, only validates those sick poeple's way of thinking. There is NO excuse.
I'm with you on that score, Paddleboard. "Rationalizing the treatment of this girl only validates those sick people's way of thinking. There is NO excuse."
More than that, what does it reveal about the mindset of the person attempting to defend someone who took it on herself to "take" this child and then abuse her?
My grandmother used to say "God can make a way out of no way"........ I USED to wonder what she meant. I am deeply touched by this story and wish much happiness to this family.
So she "set out to find her family, but had very little information to guide her — only the name of her grandfather, Ibrahim." And she didn't remember the name of her parents, her other three grandparents, siblings, or her own birth name - and she was 8 at the time of the tsunami? And I'm just guessing that Ibrahim (Abraham) is a fairly common name there as well. Also, her story differs from her father's version and both seem to differ from the line used by msnbc: "she was ripped from her mother's arms by the rushing waters."
I'm not trying to be skeptical, I hope that she has indeed found her family, I just seem to be missing something.
rabbit, it was a very traumatic event, her memory changed; it happens all the time. it may be that at some point in the aftermath someone put her in a boat. her mother recognizes her, her scar, her birthmark; her mother knows her. because this made international news i'm sure a DNA test will be done anyway and will prove what her family already knows.
How many 8 year olds know their parents real first names other than Mom and Dad? How many can recite their address? They're over there in little villages not like here where everyone has a postal address. They also have a lot of common last names. She said she went from village to village trying to find them for a while now. Readers here dont have to be so skeptical all the time. Her story may be true or not, but it is plausible.
She was a lost traumatized 8 yr old. When horrible traumas happen the memories of everyone become a kaleidoscope of image and sound, they don't always hang together and the same event will be described by survivors in many different ways. Trauma affects the memory..she was 8 yrs old, a baby. I hope this is her real family but if by chance she has managed to find a family that needs and wants to love her what is wrong with that?
My nephew is not quite 4 and I heard him telling another child, the other day-his mother and father's name. And he told her his father was in Afghanistan. Now, I don't think he knows his grandparents name other than Nana and Papa. But who knows......
Rabbit, I had scadling water accidentally spilled on me at camp. It was spilled on two other girls also. We each had very clear, yet different memories of what happened. Each of our memories was different from what two counselors saw. Memory is a tricky thing. How good is YOUR memory from when you were 8? The girl was traumatized by the tsunami. Her mother knew where to look for marks, and moles. I hope this is her true family, if not, I hope they will continue to care for each other.
luvanmls---
Some children know their parents' first names. Some don't. Some parents make it a point to tell their children their first names. Some parents don't even call one another by their first names; they use names of endearment, such as dear or honey, or some other nickname.
When I was in the 5th grade, 10 years old, this one boy didn't know his mother's first name. All the kids were telling their parents' first names and Ray said his mother's name was, "Mama." We had a good laugh about that for the remainder of the school year.
The point is, if parents don't tell their young children their first names or don't call one another by their first names, the children won't know their parents' first names. It might be rare but by no means unheard of.
Rabbit--you forget that msnbc cannot be counted on for a complete factual story so I am thinking maybe 60% or the reported might be correct. Just saying. Bottom line is they all seem happy.
They've just copied this story from a news agency over there.
"state news agency Antara reported"
Why is it so important to people to cast a negative light on a story of a child being reunited with her family? With the state of this planet in general in dire straits, I'm happy to read about someone somewhere getting some good news. I wish that entire family well. They've been through enough already.
I agree with Rabbit, the evidence seems unable to support the assertion that this girl has found her family. What should happen is DNA testing to try to confirm the relationship but I suppose that DNA testing isn't available there. Still, the girl is better off with people who want to claim her as family than being abused by someone who makes her beg in the street. Hopefully this family, that so desperately longed for the return of their daughter will treat her well and she will have a happier life than the one she left behind.
sighber---
What "evidence?" This is an article, not these people's life story. Have you considered there could be factors the family has considered that you aren't privy to?
If you have lost a child, and someone about the right age shows up and says she is that child, it is natural to find ways to believe this is true. I hope it is true, but a DNA test would be a very good idea. Once the fact is known, other decisions can be made that will be good for everyone. Hiding from the truth is never the right answer.
I think that this girl is their daughter. Traumatic events can be either blocked or altered by the brain to protect it from whatever. Abuse victims don't like to remember the good times while they are in bad situations because sometimes it makes their situation seem more hopeless.
Something bad might have happened to me as a child but I don't remember it because I have either blocked the memory or I didn't realize what was going on or nothing happened at all.
Besides everyone remembers events differently no matter what. e.g. A gunshot goes off and a man is seen fleeing the scene. Everyone describes the man differently. Eyewitnesses are not always reliable.
People, let's just remember the season's nature, that of hope and charity. If it is true, great. If not, it will give others some hope anyway.
That area of the world is (financially) poor, generally, and it is a much different culture than we have in the western hemisphere. Just be happy for the family, let the authorities do their due diligence, and let it go at that.
Damn those muslim people are ugly bustards.
Don't know if your post is sarcasm or not, but imagine their take of the commentators on this page. That said I wish the family well and hope that more families torn apart by nature's whimsy can be re-united.
post613--Shut the hell up until you have something useful or intelligent to say. I, for one, won't be holding my breath. Oh, and I won't be watching for a reply from you. I know better than to listen to someone who spouts hate like you do.
Do us all a favor and hold your breath forever you POS.
It takes one to know one, right Post?
Everybody thank's God when something like this happen's. For what?? people give God too much credit for everything. Should we also thank God for the Pervert Priest's in the Catholic and other church's? Luck is the thing that count's most in a case like this.
Freedom of choice, Tarzan. Those people made a choice to behave that way. God certainly did not make them do it. Really, now....
Thank you. God gave us all freewill so we could choose His son or not choose.
countrygirl: don't you mean his "Jewish" son?
As a Jew I am offended that you bible thumpers fail so miserably when it comes to basic courtesy and respect regarding respecting another human beings creed.
To the critics who aren't convinced.....two things that are hard to argue even if its not their child.
1) the family which had a hole ripped into their hearts has had it refilled
2) a homeless child now has a loving family
You might say, well what if it is not REALLY her......so what....if its not her then odds are they will never see the real daughter again as she was killed in the tsunami. But to that family it is her and that alone gives them peace. And again assuming this girl is not the real girl, if the real girl were to come home in a few years then odds are that the family would have by then developed feelings for the first girl and thereby just grew their family by one additional person(basically an adoption).
Whether blood relation or not we were put on this earth to love one another. And I believe this is specially true with children. The more we live this single rule the closer we are to God. Go out of your way today to be kind to someone you don't know and both of you will receive rewards from it.
People know their children. How could you not know your old child? Seven years is not that long of a time. Even if the girl is now 15, they'd know their own daughter. Are some of you serious?
People don't change that drastically. Look at your own elementary school pics even compared to you as a adult. You still retain many of the same features to the degree that if people see your pics from your elementary school days, they know it's you.
Or, do you simply have to find something wrong with anybody who isn't you? Everyone is stupid except you - to the degree that they don't even know their own children. Sheesh!
I agree with everything you said except the looking like you did in Middle School. I look nothing like I did as a child for some reason all my features changed
I can see how a child's memories of a traumatic event could be scrambled a bit; I could even see it for her father, too. I hope she really is home.
What type of people will use a story like this to bash God? Just prooves the only fasionable form of bigotry is aimed at believers.
Nice to hear of a "happy ending" in our news media once in awhile. Don't read so much into it... let the girl be happy and the family be happy. Even if she is not their biological child, happiness and hope have filled hearts where sadness once was and that is priceless.
What ever happened to news reporters that provide complete stories; who, what when, where, how and why. Seems the news business now consists only of blogs with bits of information.
The fact that she resembles her father makes sense....the tranference of genes is predominatly cross gender.
God didn't rip anyone from anyone's arms. God doesn't make bad things happen, but God is there with you when bad things do happen. He saved this little girl.
@ Tarzan7: God didn't make priests or preachers into perverts. They are just as human as the football coaches who are also molesting children. The list goes on; teachers, ROTC recruiters, weirdos driving around in vans picking up kids playing outside, etc. God put all men and women on this earth and gave us all free will, but with rules to live by in order to live eternally with Him in heaven, God's Kingdom. What an individual does with that free will is his/her own choosing, not God's.
Prayer is what counts most in a case as this one.
God doesn't make bad things happen, huh? Then what do you make of Isaiah 45:7, "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things."? KJV
Does God create evil? Certainly not. If He was the author of evil, then He certainly would not be a good God that is worthy of worship and praise, much less trusted to have our well-being in mind. The idea of a good God creating His own enemy and the object of His wrath seems inconceivable. It would be inconsistent for a good God to mastermind the idea of evil, will it into existence, and still be considered a good God.
Rather, God created man in His image with the freedom to choose. With this freedom came the opportunity to rebel against Him. Man did rebel ( Genesis 3 ), and the rest is history. The annals of human history chronicle how God uses everything — even the chaos of this world — to bring about His glory and purposes. Those purposes include our growth in becoming more Christlike.
What’s the point of Isaiah 45:7? God reveals His almighty and awesome character to us so we can relax with the confidence that comes from knowing, even in the most dark, desperate, and discouraging times in our lives, God is up to something good for us all the time.
Great news, no politics just a good story
Gracias a Dios
If God can make Tim Tebow win football games...I guess performing this little miracle shouldn't be a surprise !!
God doesn't make Tim Tebow win football games. He allows things to happen to show us we need Him.
So according to your logic country girl...God allowed the earth to move causing a massive tsunami, that allowed 230,000 people to die and one little girl to suffer for seven years !!! Hmmm...that sure seems like a very strange way to show us how much we need him !!!???
Why is the news still calling her Wati???