Here is the news

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Yep, the barricades around Polda at Semanngi are in place and the marchers are walking towards the area as I type. I avoided that part of the city today and took another route to  work. Still its a day out and chance to take photos and shout at things for the marchers, which is nice.

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Good news

Those of us are familiar with Jakarta's terrible traffic jams will take a little heart from this one. Transjakarta has been investing heavily in new stock, meaning their bus service is getting better by the day.

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/01/2 … 20-Percent

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The public transport revitalization in Jakarta through PT Transportation Jakarta (Transjakarta) begins to reveal the results. The number of Transjakarta bus passengers also increased significantly in 2016 compared to 2015.

PT Transjakarta Operational Director, Daud Joseph, disclosed that last year, there were 123.6 million of Transjakarta passengers. The number increased 20.8 million compared to 2015, which was Rp 102.8 million.

"Last year, the increase in the number of Transjakarta bus is 20 percent compared to 2015," Daud stated, at PT Transjakarta office, in Cawang, East Jakarta, Wednesday (1/25).

One of Jajarta's (and most of Indonesia) big problems is the lack of footpaths (sidewalks), meaning pedestrians have safety issues.
That makes this story good news.

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/01/2 … n-Prepared

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Jakarta provincial government is set to build sidewalks in 42 districts and five locations this year.

Head of Bina Marga Agency, which is in charge of roads, Yusmada Faizal said the sidewalks in those 47 places would be build around stations, markets or TransJakarta bus stops.

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https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/02/1 … r-Election

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - At least 30,000 personnel of a joint team of the Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI), the National Police, the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) and community organizations will be deployed to secure the Jakarta Governor election next week.

"There will be around 23,000 police officers to be deployed, 500 TNI officers to be deployed. So in total, there will be around 30,000 to secure the election. The people can be calmed," said Chief of the Jakarta Police Inspector General M Iriawan in Jakarta on Saturday.

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Don't mess with cops here. Most are very nice people but anyone who has a go at them is asking for trouble. Doing it with a gun is suicide.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017 … ekasi.html

Two alleged robbers, identified only as IM, 19, and M, 20, were shot dead by Medansatria Police officers in Bekasi, West Java, on Sunday. The police claimed the suspects attacked the officers while resisting arrest.

“Both of the robbers fired at police officers using homemade firearms,” Medansatria Police chief Comr. Sukadi said as quoted by wartakotalive.com on Sunday. He said the men were known to be ruthless robbers.

An inky pinky gets you a free meal.

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/02/1 … ection-Day

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Those wanting to enjoy the regional election public holiday today may as well take a walk or eat some food at shopping malls after casting their votes. Vendors and restaurants have made special offers on the election day. A restaurant in Lippo Mall Puri, West Jakarta, called Piring Emas offers up to 100% cash back for a maximum transaction of Rp300,000. Patrons may only need to show their ink-laced pinky indicating that a vote has been cast. The vouchers are applicable until March 15. Another restaurant called Ta Wan, which can be found in large malls, also has special offers. Those who have cast vote may enjoy three main menus free of charge: Ta Wan Fri........

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Just in case anyone needed reminding not to peddle drugs in Indonesia...

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017 … death.html

The panel of judges at Tangerang District Court has handed down the death penalty to three Taiwanese citizens and one Indonesian for trafficking 60 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine.

The defendants have been identified as Chen Alin, Achen, Alang and Suprapto. Alin and Achen, through their lawyers, said that they had not decided on further action while Alang and Suprapto said they would appeal.

“For their offenses, the defendants are sentenced to death. The defendants have been proven guilty of jointly committing acts of crime,” said presiding judge Tuti Hariyati said on Friday, as quoted by wartakota.tribunnews.com

All too common, but this one lead to death.

https://www.balidiscovery.com/messages/ … p?Id=15526

Czech Out
Czech Tourists Dies in Canggu Beach Motorcycle Accident

(2/19/2017) A Czechoslovakian tourist, Kroupa Ondrej (28) has died in a motorcycle accident at Pantai Batu Bolong in Canggu that occurred at 4:30 am on Thursday, February 16, 2017.

As reported by DenPost, Ondrej was a passenger on a motorcycle driven by Jelinek Ondrej (28) that struck another motorcycle driven by Putu Budiana (40) at an intersection on Jalan Raya Canggu.

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It isn't always the story, it's what's behind it.

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/02/2 … -to-Turkey

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Police chief General Tito Karnavian yesterday explained to the Legal Commission of the House of Representatives (DPR) the alleged money laundering and embezzlement of funds belonging to a foundation called Yayasan Peduli Keadilan (Justice Care Foundation). Tito said that the investigation into the case embroiling the National Movement to Safeguard the Indonesian Ulema Council Edict (GNPF-MUI) chairman Bachtiar Natsir was based on foreign media reports.

“BN's [Bachtiar Nasir] case was reported by foreign media… a pro-ISIS group in Syria allegedly received funds from ILH. BH was mentioned [in the reports]. [The info] was not from us,” Tito said.

As a note, I don;t know Mr Tito but a couple of people who do are saying very good things about him.

The backstory of a news piece can say a lot more than the actual story, this being a prime example.
Things are changing in this country, that including the old corruption culture that's slowly being weeded out of government at all levels.
Whilst there are still many problems, the situation is improving tremendously and that has to be good news for Indonesia.

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/03/0 … rting-Gift

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - House of Representatives (DPR) Deputy Speaker Laode Muhammad Syarif, applauded the move taken by the Indonesian National Police for reporting a gift received from King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). King Salman recently presented a golden sword to the National Police.

"It's a good [decision]. We extend our thanks to the National Police that reported the sword they received," Laode said on Monday, March 6, 2017.

This is going to be interesting.
The prosecutors giving numbers for the monies received must mean they're pretty sure of their positions.

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/03/0 … -Receivers

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The public prosecutors at the electronic ID card or e-KTP graft case trial today, March 9, read out the indictment that contained the list of names who received the bribe, as well as the amounts.

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Another fun day in Jakarta where democracy is loved by (almost) all.

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/03/2 … -Step-Down

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Islamic Society Forum (FUI) announced a plan to launch a rally, called the 313 rally, on March 31, 2017, to urge the government to remove Basuki Tjahaja Purnama also known as Ahok from his post as the Jakarta Governor. The FUI is planning to conduct the rally at the Istiqlal Mosque and in front of the State Palace in Jakarta.

Dudes, that what elections are for

In addition, the FUI will also call on the government to imprison Ahok for being a suspect in a religious blasphemy case.

but their guy will end up in prison for being suspected of other crimes.
What was it, porn, insulting a lot of things and people and claiming the Bank of Indonesia is using communist symbols.

Another fun Friday

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/03/3 … -for-Rally

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Acting Jakarta Governor Sumarsono, also known as Soni, will deploy around 1,500 personnel from the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP), the Fire Department, and the Transportation Agency to secure the upcoming peaceful rally to be launched on Friday, March 31, 2017.

"We will deploy 1,500 personnel in several spots," Soni said in Jakarta on Thursday, March 30, 2017.

Let's hope they remain within the law this time.

Very serious stuff.

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/03/3 … -313-Rally

Earlier, police arrested Muslim People Forum (FUI) secretary General Muhammad Al Khaththath, along with other activists, namely Zainudin Arsyad, Irwansyah, Dikho Nugraha and Andry.

“The arrests were made based on evidence indicating treason,” Rikwanto said, adding that the arrests were not directly linked to the 313 rally.

The individuals were arrested based on a police report filed on March 27, 2017. They are charged with Article 110 in conjunction with Article 107 of the Criminal Code.

Even more serious.

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/03/3 … Khaththath

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta -Nasrullah Nasution, member of the advocacy team at the National Movement to Safeguard the Indonesian Ulema Council's Edict (GNPF-MUI), said that as many as 100 lawyers will defend Muslim People Forum (FUI) secretary general Muhammad Al Khaththath, who was arrested on Friday, March 31, 2017, for an alleged treason.

Note the "Muslim People Forum" as a title suggesting they represent Muslims in general, not just this groups agenda, and totally failing to note the arrests were made by Muslims and the vast majority of the courts are made up of Muslims, as is the government.

It isn't just what they do, it's the suggestion they represent all that's worrying, that and they seek to disrupt a legal process and some of their like appear to want to disrupt an election.

Oops ... Big trouble

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/04/0 … -313-Rally

Argo said that the meetings were held to discuss plans to topple the current government. Argo added that the suspects had even discussed possible entry points to the House of Representatives (DPR) office complex. "The meeting even discussed details on how to infiltrate the DPR office and how many entry points are available," Argo said.

This one doesn't surprise me at all.
I've only used them a few times but that was easily enough to see how good they've become. For an airline that was banned in the EU only a few short years ago, they've done a fantastic job - an credit and inspiration to the whole of Indonesia.

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/04/1 … -the-World

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Garuda Indonesia has been named as one of the world's top 10 airlines in 2017 according to travel site TripAdvisor. TripAdvisor held its Travelers' Choice Awards for Airlines, and the result was announced on Wednesday, April 12, 2017.

This is really odd. After all the mess, mud slinging, rallies and general hate speech against him, Ahok is still very popular.
I'm going to suggest this is a very good sign for this country as it shows the public are rejecting hate.
That in no way suggest Anies or his supporters are anything to do with  the extremists' agenda.

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/04/1 … hok-Djarot

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Researcher from Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) Deny Irvani, revealed that support towards Jakarta governor candidate pair Basuki Tjahaja Purnama and Djarot Saiful Hidayat, also known as Ahok - Djarot, showed a positive trend during the last month.

"The support for Ahok-Djarot increased 3.1 percent. Meanwhile, support for Anies-Sandi dropped 2.8 percent," Deni said on Wednesday, April 12, 2017.

The government are taking election security very seriously

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/04/1 … f-Election

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian National Police Chief General Tito Karnavian revealed that the police will deploy 65,000 of its personnel to secure Jakarta runoff election on Wednesday, April 19, 2017. They consist of a number of joint forces from the Indonesian National Police, Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), and Civil Defense.

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/04/1 … f-Election

The Police also stated in the announcement that the police will prosecute any non-Jakartans who insist on coming to Jakarta. The issue was referred to in point two and three of the announcement.

“The National Police, the TNI (National Armed Forces) and relevant agencies will prevent and examine [people] on the spot and ask them to go back home, and if they were already in Jakarta, we will return them to their region of origin,” the second point of the announcement said.

The third point says that the police will impose sanctions in accordance with prevailing laws on those who insist on coming to Jakarta.

I'm very tempted to go 'jalan jalan' tomorrow.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-indon … SKBN17J0RM

Around 66,000 police and military personnel will be deployed on voting day, police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar said.

"We are increasing our presence at polling stations as well, so please trust that the state apparatus will remain neutral and safeguard the election," he added.

Surveys have shown the race tightening to a statistical dead heat, with incumbent Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, an ethnic Chinese Christian, closing in on rival Anies Baswedan, a former education minister.

Interesting one.
Many people assume child brides are some sort of Islamic thing, but the reality in many parts of this country is young marriage between two young people, that being driven by poverty.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39741891

Female Islamic clerics in Indonesia have issued an unprecedented fatwa against child marriage.
The fatwa, which is not legally binding but will be influential, was issued after a three-day congress of female clerics in the country.
The clerics urged the government to raise the minimum legal age for women to marry to 18 from the current 16.

I like this - hope it's real

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/04/2 … -Hoax-Team

After much pussyfooting ...

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017 … eader.html

The Jakarta Police plan to issue a warrant to pick up Muchsin Alatas, head of the Islamic Defender Front's (FPI) Jakarta branch, in relation to a pornographic conversation that allegedly involved the group's leader, Rizieq Shihab.

A warrant for Muchsin would be issued along with a similar warrant against Rizieq, Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono said on Monday.

He added that Rizieq had allegedly told Muchsin to throw his smartphone away.

The heat is on and the frying pan is warming up....

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/05/1 … -for-Probe

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Police today will issue an order to force the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) leader Rizieq Syihab appear for questioning over alleged pornographic chat scandal.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono said that investigators will find Rizieq after the order is issued. Argo said that he was told that Rizieq is currently in Malaysia but his exact whereabouts are still unknown.

http://www.terberita.com/2017/05/raja-s … m=facebook

It seems his majesty King Salman has ordered Rizieq Shihab removed from Saudi and returned to Indonesia.

The poop seems to have the fan for one lad.
He's avoiding the cops at the moment but it seems Saudi are ready to ditch him.

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/05/2 … raphy-Case

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Leader of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) Rizieq Syihab has been named a suspect and will be charged with the anti-pornography law.

"He will be charged articles 4, 6 and 8 of the Pornography Law," Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Raden Prabowo Argo Yuwono said on Monday.

Argo said Rizieq is officially named a suspect at 12:00 today after a case hearing at the Jakarta Police's Special Criminal Directorate.   

Argo said investigators have collected enough evidence to name Rizieq a suspect, including the Whatsapp chat logs between two people, allegedly Rizieq and Firza Husein, the woman he is suspected to have an affair with.