Here is the news

I would like to start a thread quoting news pieces about Indonesia.
The thread isn't intended for debate about the rights and wrongs of any given situation, more to show expats and potential expats a little about what makes the headlines here, hopefully giving them an insight into what makes Indonesia tick, but a little light comment isn't a problem.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016 … begal.html

Semarang Police have ordered the Elang Team, comprising of 45 policemen, to shoot violent motorcycle thieves (begal) caught in the act.

Semarang Police chief Sr. Comr. Abiyoso Seno Aji said Friday his subordinates would not hesitate to shoot the thieves.

“We try verbal persuasion, if they obey, praise the Lord, but if they insist on committing crimes, I would be glad to reduce the Semarang population,” Abiyoso said.

Just wanna say...isn't it too extreme to just rely on firearms to solve a situation. I don't see any further information in the news except describing the police as if they are trigger happy....

Care to enlighten me a bit, Fred?

Many of the criminals are violent, commonly using knives against their victims, so the police are warning them to stop.

I can see from the good side is that the police is doing something.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016 … -soon.html

'City-owned bus management PT Transportation Jakarta (Transjakarta) has purchased 300 lower deck buses but most of them cannot operate in Jakarta because their fuel qualification needs to be downgraded from Euro 6 diesel to Euro 3 or 4.'

In England - leaves on the line. In Jakarta wrong type of diesel

lukereg wrote:

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/10/new-lower-deck-buses-cannot-operate-in-jakarta-soon.html

'City-owned bus management PT Transportation Jakarta (Transjakarta) has purchased 300 lower deck buses but most of them cannot operate in Jakarta because their fuel qualification needs to be downgraded from Euro 6 diesel to Euro 3 or 4.'

In England - leaves on the line. In Jakarta wrong type of diesel


Hoo-boy!

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-indon … SKCN12A10P

By Agustinus Beo Da Costa and Eveline Danubrata | JAKARTA
Indonesian police on Monday urged Muslims to stay calm and not be "provoked" by the vandalism of a mosque in the capital, aiming to dispel fears of growing ethnic tension in the run-up to next year's election for the governor of Jakarta.

Over the weekend, white Christian crosses were found spray-painted at several locations, including on the green gates of the Al Falah Mosque in Jakarta, the largest city in the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation.


Election time commonly sees more extreme groups trying to either get their man in, or dumping someone they dislike.
Who knows what lengths these factions will go to in their attempts to their little bit of power, but it's probably a really good idea for expats to avoid the upcoming demos and general trouble that is likely this time.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37673528

A bridge connecting two small islands near the Indonesian resort island of Bali has collapsed, killing at least eight people, officials say.
People were passing over the suspension bridge for a religious ceremony when the accident occurred, a police officer told Reuters news agency.
The water was not deep but many of the victims were crushed by debris, he said.
Thirty other people were injured. All were reported to be local residents.


Indonesia has some issues with construction techniques and maintenance of various things, including bridges. Whilst these things are getting far better, there are still some major problems, so keep your eyes open.

“Just wanna say...isn't it too extreme to just rely on firearms to solve a situation. I don't see any further information in the news except describing the police as if they are trigger happy....”

IMHO, the police in Indonesia show remarkable constraint in their use of lethal force.  Then again, I was born and raised in the US where babies are given their fist Smith & Wesson before age 1...so…

Whilst there is no argument people like this guy are in every race, nationality, colour and creed, this is one less in Indonesia.

http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2016/10/18 … Ex-Convict

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Immigration officials of the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport detained an Australian citizen, who goes by the initial BD who had just arrived from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on AirAsia flight number QZ201 on Monday, October 17, 2016.

BD was not allowed to enter Indonesian territory because of his status as an ex-convict of sexual crime against children.

"BD was arrested when he attempted to enter Indonesia around 06:25 PM Western Indonesia Time," said Heru Santoso, spokesman of the Directorate General of Immigration on Monday, October 17, 2016.

Heru said that BD was listed in the immigration office's blacklist. Australian police had also informed about BD's arrival and his status to Indonesian authorities.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37694475

Indonesia could "wipe out" paedophilia with its new policy of chemical castration, President Joko Widodo has told the BBC.
He said Indonesia respected human rights but there would be "no compromise" when it came to punishing such sexual crimes.
Indonesia passed controversial laws earlier this month authorising chemical castration for paedophiles.

Maybe an election promise, or perhaps a real one.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016 … -ahok.html

Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama has promised world-class sidewalks along Jl. M. H. Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman in Central and South Jakarta once current renovation work is completed.

Ahok's plan to expand sidewalks along thoroughfares appears to be inspired by his visit to the Netherlands, where he found sidewalks wide enough for small cafés to operate without disrupting traffic.

Another merry dance

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016 … ation.html

'Rats are known as vectors of various diseases that can affect humans, such as hantavirus, rat-bite fever, the plague, murine typhus, leptospirosis, swine dysentery and salmonella. Rats can spread disease through their fur, saliva, urine and droppings.'

The plague, they jest. Well according to:

https://www.iamat.org/country/indonesia/risk/plague

Risk is present on the island of Java, south of Surakarta.

Now you know.....

I might very well buy a gun.

I'm a pretty reasonable shot and we have enough rats out here to make sure I can buy a new car, a computer, a few cameras and the services of several  women with poor moral codes without the need for credit.

India tried this scheme and it went well until people started breeding more rats for cash.

Doomed to fail

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http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2016/10/27 … ug-Dealers

BNN Ready to Shot Dead Drug Dealers
Zoom Out Zoom In Normal
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) chief Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso said his personnel are ready to shot dead drug dealers.

“We will act responsibly, take measured approach,” he said on Wednesday night in Surabaya.

He has promised that the BNN will not violate human rights.

The BNN has set up a special team to crack down on drug dealers. “We are waiting for the bespoke standard firearms which will arrive in November,” he said.


Could be a good idea to avoid illegal drugs.

This story has been bubbling for some while here, both in the news and gossip columns.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016 … rison.html

Judges at the Central Jakarta District Court sentenced murder suspect Jessica Kumala Wongso to 20 years in prison on Thursday after finding her guilty of murdering Wayan Mirna Salihin by putting cyanide poison into Mirna's coffee on Jan. 6 at Olivier in Grand Indonesia, Central Jakarta.

The court hearing was presided over by judge Kisworo.

In line with the indictment, the judges concluded that Jessica murdered Mirna in revenge for repeatedly telling Jessica to break up with Patrick O'Connor, her former Australian boyfriend.

Well this is almost the same kind of case

akarta.coconuts.co/2016/10/21/man-surrenders-giant-pet-crocodile-he-raised-13-years

'Firman had kept the crocodile in a pool surrounded by an iron fence. Every day people would come to see the animal.
“I was always worried that children would fall in the pool,” Firman said.'

Worried = maybe = no further action needed

BAS14 wrote:

I don't know if jessica IS GUILTY OR NOT but given the evidence it is highly unlikely she would have been convicted in many countries.


I would lean towards guilty, but with so much evidence destroyed ... who knows?

Street kids are a big problem in Jakarta and many other places in Indonesia to varying degrees, so I really hope this bit of news works out, but It won't be easy to pull off.

http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2016/11/27 … ia-by-2017

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa declared a street-children free Indonesia by 2017 at the National Monument, on Sunday.

"Actually, the declaration of street-childen free program was declared for the first time in 2015, but this is to reiterate our determination to make Indonesia free from street children by 2017," the minister said.

The declaration was voiced by the minister together with hundreds of children and several regional heads.

The number of street children in Indonesia in 2015 reached 33,400. They lived in 16 provinces.

Some six thousand children have so far received services under the the governments Child Social Welfare Program in 2016.

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This is an interesting one.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-38325452

Last week photos surfaced of two unidentified Western tourists being paraded around an Indonesian island in a "walk of shame" for alleged theft.
The images show a foreign man and woman walking alongside uniformed officers on the island of Gili Trawangan, with cardboard signs around their necks.
The signs read: "I am thieve [sic]. Don't do what I did...!!!"
The practice of parading those deemed to have committed crimes on the Gili Islands has gone on for many years although its exact origins are unclear.


http://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/10E70/production/_93023296_5cbee4f3-6054-4dcb-bda5-7c4103c860d6.jpg

A bomb in Bali.
This one is especially strange as it was left with a note saying, "Bomb".

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016 … -ubud.html

Bali Police personnel on Tuesday managed to safely detonate a low-explosive device found earlier in the day inside a bag in the popular tourist district of Ubud in Gianyar regency.

Gianyar Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Waluya said the bag had been found on Tuesday morning in front of a food stall on Jl. Raya Banjar Lungsiakan in Kedewatan subdistrict.

Zero zero zero

https://asiancorrespondent.com/2016/12/ … ncy-bills/

INDONESIA'S central bank governor said on Monday the bank is seeking to slash three zeroes off the face value of rupiah notes in a move to simplify it currency system.

Bank Indonesia (BI) Governor Agus Martowardojo said he has asked President Joko Widodo to revive a previously shelved plan to redenominate the rupiah to make it “more efficient and simpler”.

A draft law backing redenomination was submitted to parliament in 2013 under the previous government. However, the draft was put aside due to instability in Indonesia's financial markets at the time.

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http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016 … -says.html

National Narcotics Agency (BNN) chief Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso threatened to take severe actions against individuals involved in drug trafficking.

"Don't hesitate to shoot drug traffickers, drug dealers and drug users. Anyone involved in drug trafficking should be punished harshly, including traitors in the BNN body," Budi said as quoted by kompas.com during the installment ceremony of the North Sumatra task force for drug eradication, prevention, abuse and dealing in Deliserdang on Tuesday.

Budi called on everyone to join hands in fighting drug trafficking.

"Drug dealers have been all out in their efforts to market drugs. We have to be all out as well to fight them," he said, adding that the agency had teamed up with the military to wage war against drug trafficking.

http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2016/12/21 … s-Revealed

According to Argo, Adam's arrest took place at 08.00 AM, Western Indonesian Time. Adam confessed that they had planned to bomb a police post located near Eka Hospital, Serpong, Tangerang. The raid that took place at Setu killed three suspects, Omen, Iwan, and Helmi.

“The suspect resisted by reaching for a bomb that has been constructed. [We] then took immediate action which caused the death of the three suspects,” Argo said.

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"Don't hesitate to shoot drug traffickers, drug dealers and drug users."

Sounds to me like that guy is taking lessons from Duterte.   :(

I'm all for strict enforcement of the drug laws here, but that is way over the top, especially in regards to users.

Opinions vary, but the only ones that matter are the guys with the guns and their commanders.
Regardless of either your or my opinion, I'm guessing the quote will be popular in general.

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A few people are going to be unhappy about this.

http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/01/05 … ation-Fees

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Jakarta Provincial Government rises the vehicle registration certificates (STNK) and vehicle ownership documents (BPKB) administration fees starting this year.

Acting Jakarta Governor, Sumarsono, said that the policy is taken since the fees have never been raised for seven years.

“These fees have never been raised for seven years,” he said, Wednesday (1/4).

He wants the policy to be disseminated properly towards citizens to avoid confusion.

Meanwhile, Head of Jakarta Regional Monetary Management Board (BPKD), Heru Budi Hartono, stated that new fees could rise twice or three times from Rp25,000 to Rp75,000 or Rp100,000.

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/01/0 … m-Ministry

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Director General of Information Application of the Information and Communication Ministry, Samuel Abrijani Pangerapan, said that as of December 2016, the government had blocked around 800,000 sites, most of which contain pornographic contents, gambling, and hoaxes.


I've noticed several sites I've been unable to access whilst doing searches on political subjects, but those site are mostly more extreme views at all ends of the political scale and previous visits to those sites found them full of false stories, so no real loss to anyone.
I'm generally concerned at government censorship, but they seem to be getting the balance about right on this one, only dumping pointless rubbish.

Here's something I like a lot.
Surfing was never for me, but martial arts are right up my street.
I've been to several pencak silat demonstrations and enjoyed them greatly as the art is an especially interesting one.
I hope this goes well for them.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017 … -java.html

West Java plans to hold two international festivals later this year in a bid to lure a targeted 1.3 million international tourists.

West Java Tourism and Culture Agency head Ida Hernida said there would be an international pencak silat martial arts festival, probably held in Bandung, and a surfing festival at Cimaja Beach in Sukabumi regency.

“Some 15 countries have registered to join the pencak silat festival,” Ida said on Monday, as quoted by news agency Antara. She added that dozens of countries had expressed interest in joining the surfing event.

....

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This story suggests it's a very good idea not to mess around with illegal drugs in Indonesia.
Unlike in places such as the UK, it's highly unlikely the police will face any sort of investigation over the shooting as it seems to be seen as pretty much cut and dried.
Take this as a warning not to do that sort of stuff in this country.

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/01/1 … Trafficker

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Police shot dead a 29 year-old drug trafficker called Bryan, also known as KB, as he resisted arrest in Karawang, West Java on Monday.

"The officer took the extreme action because the suspect fought back," said the Director of the Jakarta Polices Crime Investigation Department, Senior Commissioner Nico Afinta, on Tuesday.

Don't mess with drugs in Indonesia!
What is a nothing bit of minor dealing in many countries gets you years in the slammer here.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-38685966


David Fox, an ex-Reuters reporter, and Giuseppe Serafino, a bar owner, were arrested in Bali on 8 October.
The pair could face up to 12 years in prison if convicted of drug possession, transportation and use, or four years if found guilty of use alone.
Indonesia has some of the world's toughest drug laws.
Police allege they confiscated 10.09 grams of hashish from Mr Fox's house and clothing in a sting operation.