Banten Regional Secretary invites MTQ delegation to pray for missing journalists

Serang (ANTARA) - The Regional Secretary of Banten Province, Deden Apriandhi, has invited the MTQ (Al-Quran Recitation) delegation and LPTQ officials to pray that the journalists and ship crew reported missing while covering the Mount Anak Krakatau area are found safe and sound.

“Let us together pray that the five journalists and three ship crew members are found soon in good health,” said Regional Secretary Deden in a statement in Serang on Friday.

Deden stated that today, the Governor of Banten, Andra Soni, is personally involved in the search process, scouring the waters around the incident site using the KN SAR 247 Tetuka.

“This is part of the efforts undertaken by the Banten Provincial Government to accelerate the discovery of these eight individuals,” he added.

Meanwhile, Regional Secretary Deden stated that the entire Banten Province delegation is ready to compete in the XXXI National MTQ level 2026 in Semarang, Central Java.

“Everyone certainly hopes for the best, including those of us from the LPTQ (Al-Quran Recitation Development Institute) management and mentors. However, the most important thing is that the participants remain focused, concentrated, and perform their best. The final result will depend entirely on the judges’ assessment,” he said.

Deden noted that the competition environment, which lasts up to 10 days, will certainly differ from the atmosphere during training. Therefore, discipline is crucial, especially for participants who are still teenagers.

“You will be competing there for 10 days, and the situation will certainly be different from the training venue. My message is to maintain unity, safety, and of course, health. Do not stay up late; rest according to the schedule that has been determined,” Deden reminded.