'Gamelan' festival in Semarang

SEMARANG: At least 17 countries are expected to join an international gamelan (Javanese orchestra) festival here in mid- 1998.

Organizing committee chief Suka Hardjana told reporters after meeting the local mayor, Sutrisno Suharto, Wednesday that teams from the United States, Canada, Germany, France, New Zealand, Australia and Great Britain were among the participants expected at the week-long festival.

Organizers would not only select the best performance, but also individual musicians' skills at playing the instruments, Hardjana was quoted by Antara as saying.

He said the festival was expected to help the government promote Indonesian tourism.