by Mason Wright
BC Bureau Chief

BURNABY, BC (CUP) - Even though they are nearly 10,000 kilometres away from the crisis, students in British Columbia are helping victims of last monthıs devastating earthquake in Taiwan.

Taiwanese student associations at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University have collectively raised more than $10,000 to provide relief for those left homeless after the massive tremor.

At UBC, funding drives by all of the schoolıs Taiwanese clubs raised $6,379.

³Most of us are [in Canada] not more than five to 10 years,² said Jeffrey Hwang, president of the UBC Taiwan Association.

³We still go back to Taiwan and we visit Taiwan, so itıs important [to contribute to earthquake relief].²

At Simon Fraser University, the SFU Taiwanese Student Association is encouraging all of the schoolıs Chinese student groups to help with their donation table.

The SFU group has raised an estimated $4,000 for the earthquake victims.

³We tried to act fast, because with this kind of stuff you have to take immediate action,² said Alan Tsai, president of the SFU-based Taiwanese group.

³We had a meeting and just tried to unite all the Chinese clubs at SFU. We also phoned UBC and UVic to make sure they do the same thing.²

The University of Victoria Taiwanese Association could not be reached for comment.

Approximately 100,000 people were left homeless after the September 21 earthquake, which killed over 2,000 people and measured 7.6 on the richter scale.

According to the Taipei Economic and Culture Office in Vancouver, British Columbians have donated $2.4 million for the relief effort so far.

The money raised by BC students is being sent to Taiwan through local charitable organizations, and is being used to buy temporary shelter, food and water for earthquake victims, as well as funding repairs to roads and bridges that were destroyed.

According to Tsai, the most difficult areas to help are the remote, mountainous communities. ³The most difficult thing is transportation,² he said.

³The roads and bridges are damaged. We have a lot of stuff that we cannot ship into those areas as soon as they need it, so thatıs the problem.

³We donated money to rebuild the bridges and roads.²

UBCıs donations, which are being sent to Taiwan through the local branch of the Taiwan-based Tzu Chi Foundation, will go toward food and temporary shelter.

Peter Huang, a volunteer for the foundation, said people in Taiwan have been discouraged from living in apparently safe homes because of the risk of aftershocks.

³They still stay in the street,² he said from the foundationıs busy Vancouver office. ³Most of the things they need are blankets, tents and water.²

Huang was encouraged that the donations at UBC have come from a wide range of students. ³All the people participate,² he said, ³not only Chinese.²