Buket Meriam – a small settlement in Kabupaten Aceh Timur within Kecamatan Peureulak Timur district
Buket Meriam is a settlement located in the eastern part of Aceh Province on Sumatra, in Kabupaten Aceh Timur regency, specifically within Kecamatan Peureulak Timur district. Based on its coordinates (4.69° north latitude, 97.86° east longitude), it is situated in an interior area close to the coast of the Strait of Malacca. Kabupaten Aceh Timur extends across the eastern side of the regency within Aceh Province, and at the end of 2023, the regency's total population was 449,796. Regarding the settlement named Buket Meriam itself, no independent, detailed source material is available; therefore, the description below is based on the known characteristics of the regency and the broader region, and it clearly indicates whenever a statement applies not specifically to this village but to the surrounding area.
General overview
Buket Meriam is a small-sized, largely agricultural settlement that belongs to the Kecamatan Peureulak Timur administrative unit. No independent encyclopedic sources are available for the district or the village itself, so the general picture of the place can only be outlined based on regency-level data. Kabupaten Aceh Timur is located on the eastern periphery of Aceh Province, and it is noteworthy in the Indonesian context that the region is also known for its oil industry: Aceh Timur ranks among the oil-rich districts alongside Aceh Utara and Aceh Tamiang. The Peureulak region within Aceh Timur is considered a prominent historical-geographic unit. The vegetation and terrain of the area reflect characteristics typical of Sumatran interior regions, with hilly-plain terrain and a tropical climate. Villages in this region typically derive their livelihood from agriculture—palm oil and rice cultivation, and to a lesser extent fishing—though this is not directly verified by sources in the case of Buket Meriam.
Real estate and investment
No published data is directly available regarding Buket Meriam's real estate market. In the broader context of Kabupaten Aceh Timur, it can be noted that the regency's economic activity is connected to its oil and gas industry past as well as agricultural production. In rural, smaller settlements, both land prices and real estate transactions are generally considerably more modest than in the province's major city, Banda Aceh. An important general consideration from an investment perspective is that in Indonesia, foreign citizens cannot acquire full property ownership rights (Hak Milik); for them, long-term rental arrangements (Hak Sewa) or the so-called Hak Pakai status provide the legal framework. This legislative regulation applies to all of Aceh Province, and thus to Aceh Timur regency as well. No reliable public data can be found regarding local real estate prices, development projects, or investor activity in relation to Buket Meriam.
Safety and security
No itemized, settlement-level statistics are available regarding safety and security in Buket Meriam. Concerning the broader region, Kabupaten Aceh Timur and the Peureulak area, Wikipedia sources mention that the region was formerly a base area for the Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM), an Acehnese independence movement, and prior to the military emergency declaration introduced in May 2003, the Peureulak area and its surroundings were classified as a so-called "black zone" due to the intensity of the conflict. This is, however, a closed historical chapter: following the 2005 Helsinki Accord, the armed conflict ended, Aceh was granted special autonomous territory status, and the security situation became consolidated throughout the region. The available source material does not contain recent, comparable data regarding current local security; for travelers and those intending to settle, the most up-to-date foreign affairs advisories and information from local authorities are authoritative.
Tourist attractions
No tourism-related tourist attractions identifiable in source material are listed under the name Buket Meriam in available documentation. The Kecamatan Peureulak Timur district and the broader Peureulak region within Kabupaten Aceh Timur are historically significant: the name Peureulak is linked to traditions associated with early sites of Islam's establishment in Sumatra, though the available sources do not contain details regarding specific visitable monuments, museums, or natural attractions. Regarding Kabupaten Aceh Timur as a whole, it can be said that the eastern coastal stretch features landscapes connected to the Strait of Malacca, while its interior areas contain tropical rainforest patches and river valleys. Nevertheless, those traveling through Aceh Timur tend to have their attention directed toward the more thoroughly documented tourist sites located in the Banda Aceh area rather than the regency itself. Buket Meriam itself does not appear as an independent tourist destination based on available data.
Summary
Buket Meriam is a small-sized, rural settlement in the eastern part of Aceh Province, in Kabupaten Aceh Timur, within Kecamatan Peureulak Timur district. At the end of 2023, the regency counted nearly 450,000 inhabitants, and it is known for its oil industry as well as its recent conflict history—the latter being a closed chapter since the 2005 peace accord. No independent statistical or tourism data is available regarding the village itself, so both the real estate market context and security context, as well as information about attractions, can only be presented at the broader regional level and with appropriate caution. Anyone planning a visit to or investment in this area should seek information from current local and official sources as well.
