Children told to write to Acehnese

JAKARTA: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono kicked off a national pen-pal movement for children in tsunami-ravaged Aceh and Nias on Thursday, urging children across the country to write to children there in order to help ease their suffering.

Susilo said the movement would develop friendship and brotherhood among children in Indonesia, which in turn would "strengthen national unity".

After his speech, Susilo sang an old pop song by Rinto Harahap titled Ayah (Father). The song, he said, was dedicated to natural disaster victims, especially children, across the country.

More than 200 children from Jakarta attended the ceremony, as well as two Acehnese children. Seto Mulyadi, who chairs the National Commission for Child Protection, which initiated the movement, said Jakarta had been chosen as the pilot area for the program. -- JP