Yogya sends 250 to tsunami-hit areas

Yogya sends 250 to tsunami-hit areas

YOGYAKARTA: As many as 250 volunteers from Yogyakarta comprising
medical and evacuation teams have been sent to the tsunami-
ravaged areas in the provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra.

The volunteers, coming from all elements of the community,
were sent progressively in groups starting earlier this week. The
biggest group comprising 120 volunteers, along with some heavy
equipment, was sent on Wednesday by the provincial government of
Yogyakarta.

Previously, the Komite Kemanusiaan untuk Aceh (Humanitarian
Committee for Aceh) set up by Acehnese students sent 55
volunteers, the Mujahiddin Assembly Headquarters sent 77, Gadjah
Mada University (UGM) and Sardjito Hospital jointly sent a
medical and expert team of 20, and the student Association of
Naturalists sent 75 volunteers.

Apart from the volunteers, logistical aid has also been sent
to the tsunami-devastated regions. They included some 60 tons of
logistics sent in five trucks, and five tons of other cargo sent
on aircraft on Wednesday. --JP

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Sideline-Victims
Hotels deliver aid to tsunami victims
JP/17/SIDE

Hotels deliver aid to tsunami victims

YOGYAKARTA: The earthquake and tsunami in Aceh and North Sumatra
provinces have moved some star-rated hotels in the ancient city
to collect donations and aid for the survivors.

Santika Jogja Hotel on Jl. Jend. Sudirman, for example, was
prompted to turn its year-end celebration into a charity night.
After presenting a documentary film on the ravaged Aceh and North
Sumatra during the year-end commemoration, hotel staff moved from
table to table collecting donations for the tsunami victims.

"We collected some Rp 20 million that night alone," the
hotel's public relations officer Erma Wheny Hertuti said.

The fund however, has since increased to some Rp 30 million as
they continued collecting funds from hotel guests and staff. The
appeal will close on January 14, 2005, and the funds will be
distributed to victims through the Kompas Humanity Fund.

Similarly, star-rated hotels in Yogyakarta and Central Java
under the management of Accor Group have also been collecting
funds for the tsunami victims. They include Novotel Yogyakarta,
Grand Mercure Yogyakarta, Ibis Malioboro, and Novotel Solo.

A donation of Rp 13,350,000 was delivered to the Yogyakarta
branch of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) on Jan. 5. Previously,
an amount of Rp 8 million was given to Yayasan Peduli Solo (Solo
Cares Foundation) on Jan. 4, 2005.

The funds were collected from the hotels' guests and staff.
Other donations from the hotel group were channeled through the
Accor office in Jakarta, to be delivered to victims through a
television charity program. Other forms of aid such as clothing,
blankets, bed covers, and others were also collected.

"We hope this small fund and material aid will be of
assistance to the victims," a press release stated.

A similar program is also being conducted by the Melia
Purosani Hotel on Jl. Suryotomo. The hotel's public relations
manager Atik Damarjati said that so far donations of Rp 16
million had been collected from hotel guests and staff, and the
surrounding community.

"We have also opened a post in front of the Yogyakarta Tourism
Center on Jl. Malioboro, where street vendors running businesses
can participate," Atik said.

The hotel, according to Atik, is also continuing to provide
trucks to transport donated clothing and foodstuffs to PMI
headquarters in Jakarta. --JP