Hundreds of philatelists from 24 countries in the Asia-Pacific region will display their stamp collections in Jakarta this year for the 22nd annual Asian International Stamp Exhibition from Oct. 23 to 28.

Head of the Indonesia Philately Association (PFI), Soeyono, said they hoped the annual exhibition would encourage Indonesians, especially youngsters, to collect stamps.

"Today, children and teenagers in the country tend to have more interest in cellphones and modern games instead of collecting stamps. I'm very concerned about this," said Soeyono.

"Stamps cannot be compared to technology. They are way different. Stamps are cultural objects and should be able to go hand in hand with technology.

"Collecting stamps is a great hobby which teaches us to be patient and learn about this country's history. In a single stamp, you can learn about a historical event or a traditional musical instrument," he said.

During the six-day exhibition, which is to be held at the Jakarta International Event and Convention Center (JITEC) in Mangga Dua Square, North Jakarta, participants will also compete for medals in a range of competitions.

Apart from the contests, visitors can enjoy the beauty of various stamps from different countries including Australia, India, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, South Africa and Venezuela.

A car owned by former Indonesian president Soeharto will also be decorated in stamps bearing his image.

"It's a tribute to Soeharto. He is one of the country's icons. When he was still president, PT Pos Indonesia issued 21 series of Soeharto stamps," said Soeyono.

PT Pos Indonesia will also issue joint stamps with the postal service of Turkey on Oct. 24 and Cuba on Oct. 27.

The latest joint stamps will depict the first president of Indonesia, Sukarno, and revolutionaries from Cuba including Che Guevara and Fidel Castro.

Visitors can buy the rare, limited stamps at the exhibition.

On the final day of the event, PT Pos Indonesia will release and sell stamps depicting the book Laskar Pelangi (Rainbow Warrior), the best-selling story recently made into a film.

"We are cooperating with the book's author Andrea Hirata, who used to work in a post office, in issuing this new prism (Prisma) stamp collections," said Arief Supriyono, PT Pos Indonesia.

"So, if you are fans of Laskar Pelangi, you should be there to buy the limited collection," he said.

The exhibition is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

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