In contrast to Thailand, Indonesia created a special reconstruction agency (BRR) headed by a Cabinet minister. The BRR's genesis delayed reconstruction in Aceh by several months, but in the long run it will probably prove the correct decision.
BRR began as a facilitator but it is evolving into a co-ordinating and enforcing agency, setting criteria for projects. That does not excuse the fact that so many people are still in tents rather than some form of transitional shelter. It is hard to know where to pin the blame; it probably lies with everyone involved in Aceh.
As Eric Morris, the UN's relief co-ordinator in Aceh, put it: "A lot of the systems in place for emergency relief worked, but there's always a gap between relief and recovery and reconstruction."
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