Monas residents mark 81st RI Independence Day, aid NTT
A Flores quake shadowed the public celebration, as Jakarta residents called for swift aid for victims.
The 81st anniversary of Indonesia's Independence Day at the National Monument area in Central Jakarta on Sunday (16/8) featured calls for solidarity with residents of Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, affected by an earthquake. Amid preparations for the public celebration and a full dress rehearsal for the ceremony, several residents said the Independence Day observance should also be a moment to stand together when disaster strikes another region. Kusnadi, a resident of Tanjung Priok, said people in Jakarta still have a moral responsibility to pray for the victims and push for immediate aid. At the same location, the rehearsal involved 76 prospective National Paskibraka members, a joint TNI-Polri force, the Music Unit, and 81 air defense assets. KT-1B Woong Bee aircraft from the Jupiter Aerobatic Team of the TNI AU also carried out maneuvers over the Monas area.