Donations for Aceh from business communities take many forms<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The catastrophic earthquake and tsunamis that ravaged much of
\nNanggroe Aceh Darussalam and North Sumatra have prompted
\ncompanies to pour in donations of cash, goods and services, not
\nonly for the victims but also for volunteers.<\/p>\n
Several airlines have offered discounted tickets for
\npassengers going to Aceh to look for relatives and free trips for
\nmedical teams and volunteers.<\/p>\n
Budget airlines Lion Air and Adam Air, for example, have made
\nseveral free flights to the shattered province.<\/p>\n
\"Some people have money. We have airplanes, so that's what we
\nare donating,\" said Adam Air spokeswoman Dyah Puspawardhani on
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
Lion Air spokesman Hasyim Arsal Alhabsi said more free flights
\nwould be arranged as Aceh recovered from the tragedy.<\/p>\n
\"At the moment, it is very difficult to get a time slot (to
\nland) at the Banda Aceh airport. The government has prioritized
\nforeign flights delivering aid and domestic scheduled flights,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Merpati Nusantara Airlines will donate Rp 1,000 (11 US cents)
\nto victims from every ticket it sells over the next three months.<\/p>\n
\"We sell between 250,000 and 300,000 tickets a month, so we
\nexpect to raise at least Rp 750 million,\" said corporate
\nsecretary Jaka Pujiyono.<\/p>\n
The airline is preparing a charity flight specifically for aid
\nworkers, but is still waiting for a sufficient number of
\npassengers, he said.<\/p>\n
National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia is providing a 50
\npercent discount for passengers going to Aceh from Medan and
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
\"These last two weeks, Garuda has subsidized the flights by Rp
\n1 billion,\" said strategic, planning and finance director
\nWiradharma B. Oka.<\/p>\n
Regarding the tax cut introduced by the government last week
\nfor companies providing aid to victims of the tragedy, the
\nairlines said they were not familiar with the mechanisms for
\nobtaining the incentive.<\/p>\n
To obtain the tax cut, businesses must obtain a receipt from
\nthe people or institutions that receive the donations and attach
\nthe receipt to their annual income tax bill.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, state-owned oil and gas firm PT Pertamina has
\npledged Rp 15 billion for tsunami victims. The money will be
\nused to set up public kitchens and health clinics, and to rebuild
\ndamaged infrastructure.<\/p>\n
Publicly listed PT United Tractors will send heavy equipment
\nto help clear debris and excavate bodies still buried under the
\nremains of houses and other buildings.<\/p>\n
PT Roche Indonesia has donated antibiotics, quinine tablets
\nand analgesics.<\/p>\n
Korean companies Samsung Electronics Indonesia, LC Electronics
\nIndonesia and Miwon have pledged $330,000, $270,000 and Rp 100
\nmillion, plus Rp 156 million of relief goods, respectively.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/donations-for-aceh-from-business-communities-take-many-forms-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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