Disaster holds no fears for Indonesian tsunami-surviving child

JAKARTA, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- "I'm not afraid of any disasters at all," said Kurniady, a 13-year-old Chinese-Indonesian boy who survived the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004.

He was among 10 children from around the globe selected as the "universal dream kids," for their bravery, environmental awareness, and their cravings for education.

The selection is part of a global campaign launched by Xinhua News Agency and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to mark the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the United Nations on Nov. 20, 1989.

The boy, wearing a pair of glasses and whose Chinese name is Chen Jian'an, was rescued by a stranger after being swept away from his family by a raging torrent during the tsunami.

He is now living in Banda Aceh with his grand parents, mother, and younger brother and sister.

The date Dec. 26, 2004, was unforgettable for him. That is the day the tsunami tore up his hometown and interrupted the peaceful life of his family.

"That was a Sunday. We should have gone to the beach for holiday in the morning. You know, it's a tradition of my family," Kurniady recalled while twisting his fingers.

"Just before we left home, a strong earthquake shook us, tossing us to the floor," he said. "Just in several minutes, we rushed out to the street, dodging the cracked walls of our house."

The nightmare did not come to an end there. Kurniady said he had seen many people running on the street and shouting "water comes." His family followed a crowd instinctively, chased by the roaring flood.

Fortunately, an old tree near a crossroad slowed down the waters and became a shelter for his family, but Kurniady was flushed into the water.

"I was terrified. The water was cold and pouring into my mouth and nose. I felt that my body was melting and I was gradually losing conscious," he said. "Suddenly, my hair was grabbed by somebody and I was pulled out of the water."

Kurniady was rescued by a local Indonesian woman. Frightened, clothes all wet, glasses lost, the boy could hardly squeeze a word at that moment.

Thanks to the loving care from the woman, the disaster memory and the pain of missing his family was greatly reduced and his grandpa finally found him eight days after the tsunami.

While the disaster may not hold fears for the child, the experience has built a close relationship between the two families since.

Being shy, Kurniady did not accept an interview without his mother sitting beside him. But when she said the boy was still afraid of earthquakes, Kurniady gave her an emphatic denial.

"Maybe my body will tremble while earthquakes are coming, but that is just the instinct," he said.

"If the tsunami comes again, I will take care of my younger brother and sister, and not let them part with the family."