Bush and Clinton view tsunami-hit Aceh as they lead private aid effort

FORMER US Presidents George HW Bush and Bill Clinton visited Indonesia’s tsunami-ravaged Aceh province yesterday, flying over a vast wasteland of destruction, the likes of which Mr Bush said he had never seen.

The two former presidents, who are leading private US tsunami aid efforts, met with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono after arriving from Thailand, where they had their first look at the devastation and grief unleashed by the disaster.

Mr Yudhoyono said he “conveyed to them the gratitude of the Indonesian people for all these donations contributed by friendly nations, by their people, and by their NGOs (non-government organisations)”.