Donations for Aceh from business communities take many forms
Donations for Aceh from business communities take many forms
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The catastrophic earthquake and tsunamis that ravaged much of
Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and North Sumatra have prompted
companies to pour in donations of cash, goods and services, not
only for the victims but also for volunteers.
Several airlines have offered discounted tickets for
passengers going to Aceh to look for relatives and free trips for
medical teams and volunteers.
Budget airlines Lion Air and Adam Air, for example, have made
several free flights to the shattered province.
"Some people have money. We have airplanes, so that's what we
are donating," said Adam Air spokeswoman Dyah Puspawardhani on
Wednesday.
Lion Air spokesman Hasyim Arsal Alhabsi said more free flights
would be arranged as Aceh recovered from the tragedy.
"At the moment, it is very difficult to get a time slot (to
land) at the Banda Aceh airport. The government has prioritized
foreign flights delivering aid and domestic scheduled flights,"
he said.
Merpati Nusantara Airlines will donate Rp 1,000 (11 US cents)
to victims from every ticket it sells over the next three months.
"We sell between 250,000 and 300,000 tickets a month, so we
expect to raise at least Rp 750 million," said corporate
secretary Jaka Pujiyono.
The airline is preparing a charity flight specifically for aid
workers, but is still waiting for a sufficient number of
passengers, he said.
National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia is providing a 50
percent discount for passengers going to Aceh from Medan and
Jakarta.
"These last two weeks, Garuda has subsidized the flights by Rp
1 billion," said strategic, planning and finance director
Wiradharma B. Oka.
Regarding the tax cut introduced by the government last week
for companies providing aid to victims of the tragedy, the
airlines said they were not familiar with the mechanisms for
obtaining the incentive.
To obtain the tax cut, businesses must obtain a receipt from
the people or institutions that receive the donations and attach
the receipt to their annual income tax bill.
Meanwhile, state-owned oil and gas firm PT Pertamina has
pledged Rp 15 billion for tsunami victims. The money will be
used to set up public kitchens and health clinics, and to rebuild
damaged infrastructure.
Publicly listed PT United Tractors will send heavy equipment
to help clear debris and excavate bodies still buried under the
remains of houses and other buildings.
PT Roche Indonesia has donated antibiotics, quinine tablets
and analgesics.
Korean companies Samsung Electronics Indonesia, LC Electronics
Indonesia and Miwon have pledged $330,000, $270,000 and Rp 100
million, plus Rp 156 million of relief goods, respectively.