Concert for victims of communal clashes

JAKARTA (JP): Aid organization the Justice Post for People held a charity concert on Sunday to raise funds for refugees and victims of communal clashes and the impoverished.

The concert at Graha Bakti Budaya in the Taman Ismail Marzuki arts center in Central Jakarta featured popular Malaysian music group Raihan, a theatrical show by Theatre Kanvas and a showing of the film Humanitarian Tragedy in Indonesia.

The chairman of the concert's organizing committee, Sri Adi Bramasetia, said the concert also aimed to raise people's awareness of the humanitarian tragedies occurring in a number of areas in Indonesia, particularly Ambon and Aceh.

"We are getting people to pay attention to these tragedies and we hope they are willing to give some help," he said in a statement made available to the press.

During the fund-raising concert, patrons received charity forms in which they were invited to donate money to help ease the suffering of others.

As of Sunday evening it was unknown how much money was collected by organizers during the three-hour show, which began at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

"We will distribute funds raised from the audience to provide humanitarian assistance to victims of communal clashes, orphans and the poor," Sri said.

He said the aid organization was established on Sept. 17 last year and had so far distributed funds totaling Rp 3.5 billion (US$500,000).

"Most of the funds were distributed in centers of conflict which claimed many lives, such as in Ambon and Aceh," he said.

He said the organization emphasized transparency in the management of donated funds. The distribution of the money, he added, had been published in several media.

Nur Mahmudi Ismail, president of the Justice Party (PK), dismissed allegations the show on Sunday was an effort by his party to attract support for the party in the next general election.

"Charitable activities can be carried out by any group or party for the goodness of all people," Nur Mahmudi, who is also the minister of forestry and plantations, said before delivering a speech to concert attendees. (asa)