Charity night planned for Koran contest

JAKARTA (JP): The committee of a Koran-reading contest will hold a fund-raising night at the Grand Melia hotel here Thursday.

Lily Abdurrachman Sayoeti, the head of the organizing committee, said Monday the Rp 4.5 billion (US$1.8 million) budget was insufficient to cover the cost of the event to be held in Jambi next month.

The committee, she said, would need extra funds to accommodate the 1,250 participants from across the country and 1,750 visitors from both home and overseas.

Lily, who is the wife of Jambi Governor Abdurrahman Sayoeti, declined to say how much money was needed from the event. "We are doing our best to raise as much as possible," she said.

She said some artists, including violinist Idris Sardi, noted pop group Bimbo, and poet Taufiq Ismail would perform at the event. Other events, she said, would include a local food and crafts exhibition.

The contest, scheduled for July 6 to July 14, will be opened by President Soeharto.

Other festivities to be held concurrently include an exhibition from the National Islamic Museum and ASEAN art and cultural shows. There will also be cultural performances from all the Jambi regencies.

In the last contest, held in Riau in 1994, West Java won most of the prizes. (11)