Stranded by volcanic ash, Malaysians in Jakarta find free beds and open arms

Amid the disruptions caused by Anak Krakatau's volcanic ash, which grounded flights across Southeast Asia, Maira Safiraa, an Indonesian residing in Malaysia, opened her Jakarta home to seven stranded Malaysians.

Maira was inspired by empathy and provided free accommodation without any expectations, offering a place for three of her four bedrooms.

She expressed happiness at having a livelier home, while acknowledging the ongoing logistical challenges for travelers, as airport disruptions are forecasted to continue until at least the following day.

JAKARTA, Sept 7 — When Anak Krakatau’s ash grounded flights across the region, seven stranded Malaysians found themselves with nowhere to go and dwindling patience.

A stranger’s spare bedroom changed that.

Maira Safiraa, an Indonesian who currently lives in Malaysia, opened up her Jakarta house to the group after watching the flight chaos unfold from afar.

“I thought to myself, what if I or my family were in the same situation in a foreign country?” she said in a post on Threads.

That question was enough for her to offer up her home, located about 30 minutes from the airport,

Three of her four bedrooms filled up quickly, and she says the last one is still open, with priority given to women travelling alone.

There is no catch and no bill waiting at the end of the stay.

“The accommodation is free... I am not asking for any payment,” she said.

Anak Krakatau has been erupting continuously since Friday, blanketing the region in ash and forcing six airports to shut their runways.

The fallout has rippled well beyond Indonesia, disrupting flights to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney, Seoul, Doha and Amsterdam.

Maira said the timing worked out — her house happened to be empty apart from her personal assistant, who now has company instead of an empty house to sit in alone.

“I’m actually happy that my home in Jakarta has become livelier with more people around,” she said.

Airport authorities have told her the disruptions are expected to persist until at least 12.30pm tomorrow, longer still if the volcano refuses to settle.

Her goodwill has limits she cannot help — she said she feels for Indonesians stuck in Malaysia in the same predicament, but has no space to return the favour, with her own household already full with her husband, baby and helper.

For now, her open door is one less thing seven Malaysians have to worry about while they wait out the ash.

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在喀拉喀托火山灰造成的混乱中，东南亚各地的航班停飞，居住在马来西亚的印度尼西亚人玛伊拉·萨菲拉敞开了她在雅加达的家门，收留了七名滞留的马来西亚人。

玛伊拉出于同情心，无条件地提供了免费住宿，腾出了她四间卧室中的三间。

她对拥有一个更热闹的家表示高兴，同时也承认旅客们仍然面临着后勤方面的挑战，因为预计机场的混乱状况至少会持续到第二天。

雅加达，9 月 7 日——喀拉喀托火山灰导致该地区航班停飞，七名滞留的马来西亚人发现自己无处可去，耐心也逐渐耗尽。

陌生人的一间空余卧室改变了这一切。

玛伊拉·萨菲拉是一位目前居住在马来西亚的印度尼西亚人，在远距离目睹了航班混乱的发生后，她向这群人敞开了她在雅加达的家门。

她在 Threads 上发帖说：“我当时想，如果我和我的家人在国外遇到同样的情况该怎么办？”

这个问题足以让她提出把自己的房子借给他们，房子距离机场大约30分钟车程。

她的四间卧室中，有三间很快就订满了，她说最后一间仍然空着，优先考虑独自旅行的女性。

没有任何陷阱，住宿结束时也不会有账单。

“住宿是免费的……我没有要求任何费用，”她说。

自周五以来，喀拉喀托之子火山持续喷发，火山灰覆盖了该地区，并迫使六个机场关闭跑道。

此次事件的影响范围远远超出印度尼西亚，导致飞往吉隆坡、新加坡、香港、悉尼、首尔、多哈和阿姆斯特丹的航班受到影响。

玛伊拉说，时机正好合适——她的房子里除了她的私人助理之外空无一人，现在助理有伴了，而不是独自一人待在空荡荡的房子里。

“我很高兴雅加达的家因为周围人多了而变得更加热闹，”她说。

机场当局告诉她，航班中断预计至少会持续到明天下午 12 点 30 分，如果火山活动持续，中断时间还会更长。

她的善意也是有限度的，她无能为力——她说她很同情那些身处同样困境、滞留在马来西亚的印尼人，但她自己家里已经挤满了丈夫、孩子和帮佣，没有余力回报他们。

目前，她敞开的大门让七位马来西亚人在等待火山灰消散期间少了一件需要担心的事情。

前联邦土地发展局总经理因涉嫌参与项目和土地交易被控告，并被传唤至法庭候审。

马来西亚反贪污委员会调查化肥延迟交付事件，该事件影响了吉打州3.8万名农民。

喀拉喀托火山喷发火山灰，马来西亚大使馆建议旅客定期检查航班状态