Foreign books available at IKAPI exhibition<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Foreign publishers will be allowed to sell a
\nlimited number of books during a major international book
\nexhibition in September, organizers said yesterday.<\/p>\n
Foreign publishers can sell up to five books per title, the
\nsecretary-general of the Association of Indonesian Book
\nPublishers (IKAPI), Setia Dharma Majid, said.<\/p>\n
However, they must provide in advance a list of books they
\nplan to bring in, and pay local taxes, which are refundable for
\nunsold books, Setia said.<\/p>\n
The list of books must be sent to the Attorney General's
\nOffice, he said, adding that authorities would reject books which
\nwere considered a threat to national stability.<\/p>\n
The International Book Fair from Sept. 20 to Sept. 28 is a
\ncontinuation of a series of fairs known in past years as the
\nIKAPI Book Fair.<\/p>\n
Some 114 publishers have confirmed their participation,
\nincluding 11 from overseas. Foreign participants will include
\nthose from Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Singapore, the Philippines,
\nGermany, Britain and Iran.<\/p>\n
Setia said many book publishers have complained about red tape
\nthey encounter when taking part in book fairs.<\/p>\n
He said, however, that IKAPI convinced the Attorney General's
\nOffice to do away with the required list of book titles from
\nlocal publishers.<\/p>\n
Instead, IKAPI gave its word that none of the books would
\ncontain \"SARA\", he said, referring to the Indonesian acronym for
\nfour topics considered politically too sensitive and divisive:
\nethnicity, religion, races and society groups.<\/p>\n
The amount of foreign participants would also be larger if it
\nwas not for the arduous bureaucracy, Setia said.<\/p>\n
He said there was no other place in the world where publishers
\nhad to deal with an attorney general's office whenever there was
\na fair planned.<\/p>\n
Setia said the theme of this year's fair would be \"Reading
\nHabits as part of National Culture\".<\/p>\n
This is a first step in strengthening efforts to instill
\nreading habits in society, he said.<\/p>\n
He also promised attractive discounts on books on display.<\/p>\n
Various competitions and a meeting of authors will also be
\nheld during the fair in the hope of attracting visitors, he said.<\/p>\n
Organizers also plan to give a more prominent position to
\nliterary works, he added. (07)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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