Students use days off to help Merapi victims

With many schools suspending teaching activities following a series of recent eruptions of Mount Merapi, students in Yogyakarta and neighboring cities have spent their days off gathering donations for the eruption's victims.

Benny Berdyanta Raharja, a 10th grader from SMA Bopkri I High School in Yogyakarta, said he had gathered dozens of school friends in his hometown in Klaten to collect donations from road users around the city on Sunday.

"We started at 9 a.m. and in around three hours had managed to collect Rp 400,000 [US$44.8] from passers by," Benny told The Jakarta Post, which was approached by a member of the charity group at an intersection on Jl. Tentara Pelajar.

Klaten is a regency in Central Java that shares borders with Yogyakarta province. Many students from Klaten and other cities around Yogyakarta choose to continue their studies at high schools or universities in Yogyakarta.

Benny said he and his friends were planning to use the money to buy mats and blankets for refugees in the nearest camp.

Ilyas Nurdiansyah, 17, a 12th grader from SMA 2 Klaten State High School, also managed to gather his friend to do the same.

Together with more than 20 schoolmates, Ilyas hopped in several intersections in Jl Raya Bendo-Gantungan, Klaten, playing guitar and singing to invite street users donating their money.

"We actually wanted to do the charity work earlier this week, but since our school has continued to open despite Merapi eruption, we only can do it today [Sunday]," Ilyas said.

Aside of collecting donations, other students chose to lend a hand directly in refugee camps.

Since the local authorities used his school to shelter more than 400 refugees since Saturday, Muhammad Nur Huda, a 12th grader from SMK I Boyolali State Vocational School, said he also felt responsible to help Merapi refugees.

Together with a dozen students, Huda helped camp volunteers to prepare meals for refugees at a public kitchen in the morning, and to secure incoming aid .

"If students don't help the refugees, who else will?," he said.

Merapi reunites Yudhoyono, Kalla

Mt. Merapi eruptions have reunited President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his former vice president Jusuf Kalla, who now chairs the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI).

Their close encounter took place at the Yogyakarta state palace on Saturday when they attended a meeting to discuss concerted efforts to mitigate the impacts of the volcano’s eruptions on the people as the disaster has killed more than 100 people and displaced over 200,000 others.

Also seen in the meeting were National Disaster Mitigation Agency chief Syamsul Maarif and other government officials, kompas.com reported.

“You seem to have already worn your battle suit,” Yudhoyono told Kalla, who was wearing his PMI uniform.

The two were involved in a conversation as if nothing had changed since they parted ways ahead of the 2009 presidential election.

"Have you visited the disaster zone?” asked Yudhoyono.

Kalla explained he had toured regions in Yogyakarta and Central Java which were affected by the volcanic explosions.