Saturday 23 June 2007

Burning Porn


The customs office at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport destroyed 200,000 pirated DVDs and VCDs containing pornographic material and music Friday.


The officers melted a total of 5 tons of discs confiscated between 2005 and 2006 in vacant land in Kapuk, North Jakarta.


The discs were confiscated from arriving passengers and incoming cargo at the airport.


"We melted the discs so as to not pollute the environment and to make sure the discs couldn't be reused illegally," the head of the inventory unit at the airport's customs office stated.


He did however add "those who missed any of the destroyed titles can buy copies from the Customs and Police Video outlets in Manga Dua, Ratu Plaza and Ambassador Malls"

Manufacturing Disruptions - Indo style!


Fear of a mass demon possession shut down operations at garment manufacturer PT Masa Baru, in Cikokol, Tangerang, on Friday.


The incident started Thursday evening when Lala, a 27-year-old worker in the packing department, broke spontaneously into shouting, her body turning stiff minutes after that.
Several other workers approached to help but began exhibiting similar behavior, causing panic among the rest of the crowd.


Lala and the others undergoing the "possession" were transferred to a security post in the complex while the management waited for a dukun (shaman) to arrive.

The man managed to return the workers to consciousness. They were sent home soon afterwards.

A similar outbreak then occurred early the next day, affecting several workers and prompting others to flee the factory.

"We were very scared because those who tried to help the victims were also affected," recalled Titin, one of the workers who fled from the factory's packing unit.

Munandar, a security officer, said that such incidents occurred quite frequently, causing fear among the 700-odd workers at the factory.

The company management refused to comment on the incident.

"The company board of directors are not here so we can't give any explanation," said Neli from the company's human resources department.

The Big (Non Stinky) Durien

If you are like me, one of the biggest down sides in S.E. Asia is the Durien!


I refuse to have it, or any of it's derivatives in the house!


Why? Because it fucking stinks!




Accordingly genetically engineering the world's smelliest fruit to remove its stink would appear to be a winning formula.

But that's not the case for durian lovers, who regard the odour as an integral part of the eating experience.


Undeterred, a Thai government scientist has made it his life's work to breed a virtually odourless variety. His goal is to find devotees for the south-east Asian fruit among those presently repelled by its smell.

After 20 years of cross-breeding more than 90 varieties and conducting endless DNA tests at a horticultural institute near the Cambodian border, Songpol Somsri has come up with a durian strain that smells as inoffensive as a banana.
About effing time too!

One travel writer was moved to venture that the durian - in season from April to June - smelled like "pigshit, turpentine and onions", garnished with a gym sock". The yellow-green spiky fruit with an image problem is banned from Singapore's underground trains and many south-east Asian hotels and airlines.

For durian lovers, however, the strong smell is considered a measure of its quality and is much discussed during the communal eating experience.But Mr Songpol thinks his new variety, named Chantaburi No 1 after his home province, could win favour in Europe and the US.

He is cultivating seedlings and believes Thailand - the world's largest exporter - could produce up to a million odourless durians over the next five years.

Now if he could only improve the taste as well!

Grey Skies


Where ever you go in Sichuan province the sky seems to be perpetually grey!
This is the main reason! Coal Fired Power Station's everywhere.
The Chinese economy is booming and the majority of the power is suppled bt beasts like this one!
It is worth noting that the Chines have vowed to clean their "act" up. I wait with bated breath!

Getting around "Chengdu" style


Although Rickshaw's are no longer seen in Beijing, in Sichuan Province that still constitute the majority of the traffic in this city of 12 million people!

Chengdu - Home of the Panda


And they like to let you know at every opportunity.
The famous Panda Breeding & Research Station is located 35 km from Chengdu and I will try to visit there on my next trip!

Short Trip to China


I was in China last week visiting Chengdu, Chongqing and Dhazou!
When I arrived in Dhazou, I thought I had gone to Heaven...
Not like Jakarta in the least!

The "Alternative" View



Could not resist it!

Under skies heavy with ebony


Not an unfamiliar site in Jakarta this year... the onset off yet another storm.
This one was taken at about 4 pm last month in Kuningan

Where are you wringing from?


"The chest down"

The Gay Plauge Lurks in Jakarta

Agree or disagree - It's there and could kill you!


The grungy movie theatre in Senen, East Jakarta, was full on the weekend, dark and hot from the lack of air-conditioning.


The carpets had that sticky feeling, like walking with a Velcro floor and slippers. (Best not to ask what caused the adhesive nature of the floor).
Some of the audience squelched their way between the seats as a Japanese teen movie played on the big screen. Those still seated seemed not to mind.





Two men in the corridor between the seats brushed arms, exchanged glances, and, without saying a word, moved to the corner for anonymous oral sex.

Inside the rundown auditoriums of the Grand Duta theatre, such occurrences are regular.

In Indonesia, to be out and gay remains a taboo. Gay community members are straightforward about their sexual orientation among themselves. However, facing the social pressure of Indonesia's heterosexist society, they hide their sexual orientation when returning to the mainstream.

Most significantly, they also hide their sexual orientation from their families. An HIV/AIDS activist said most of the middle-aged men inside the movie theatre lead double lives. "Most of them hide their sexual orientation from their wives and children," he said. He said he knew of a couple that had been together for 15 years, who both had wives and children of their own.

"Their relationship is on-again-off-again, because one or the other of them always cheats with another guy. But it's never because of a woman," he said. "If people know that Grand is a gay place, some members of society might want to close it down.

But that wouldn't make gay people disappear, because they are part of (this) society. (Closing these places down) would rather make it more difficult to identify them, making HIV/AIDS prevention harder among this group," he said.

Islamic conservatism, even in societies like Indonesia which is apparently more enlightened than their Middle Eastern counterparts are not “kicking in” to stop the spread of these diseases, and worse, preventing education taking place which could save so many.

Scarier still, the gay community has to remain underground, forcing them into heterosexual relationships and opening the potential spread of infection to a group who may otherwise have been considered low risk, that is to say, unsuspecting wives and girlfriends.....

Only in Jakarta

Here is one I missed......Ironic an exhibition on diving cancelled due to floods!

DEEP Indonesia Dive Expo postponed due to flooding"The flood has covered 60% of Jakarta and in some areas the water depth has reached more than 3 meters."

The organiser writes:Maybe you have heard about the big flood that hit Jakarta these few days and there is no guarantee that this is going to be over soon.

The flood has covered 60% of Jakarta and in some areas the water depth has reached more than 3 meters. With this condition, even if we could go on with the preparation we will not reach a significant quantity of visitors .

After all visitors are what we aim for in an exhibition.Taking all the above as consideration we regret to inform you that we have decided to postpone DEEP Indonesia 2007 to a later date which will be announced asap.

We would like to apologize for the inconvenience caused and thank you for your understanding.

Yours sincerely,

Dharmawan Sutanto
President Director

Corruption is not yet dead here!

Three contractors are bidding to fix a broken fence at the Presidential Building in Jakarta, one from Bekasi, another from Bandung and the third from Bogor.

They go with a government official to examine the fence.The Bandung contractor takes out a tape measure and does some Measuring, then works some figures with a pencil..

"Well," he says, "I figure the job will run about IR 9,000,000: IR 4,000,000 for materials, IR 4,000,000 for my crew and IR 1,000,000 profit for me."

The Bogor contractor also does some measuring and figuring, then says, "I can do this job for IR 8,000,000: IR 4,000,000 for materials, IR 3,000,000 for my crew and IR 1,000,000 profit for me."

The Bekasi contractor doesn't measure or figure, but leans over to the official and whispers, "IR 28,000,000"The official, incredulous, says, "You didn't even measure like the other guys! How did you come up with such a high figure?"

The Bekasi contractor whispers back, "IR 10,000,000 for me, IR 10,000,0000 for you, and we hire the guy from Bogor to fix the fence.""Done!" replies the government official

Not fair on the Children!

We all know that there are literally thousands of "street urchins" in Jakarta, I had always thought that family poverty prevented them from education.

While this may be so, another reason was discussed..........




A 7-year-old girl sat in her mother's lap by a railroad in Palmerah, West Jakarta. She was tainted by dirt that had been smeared across her little face, hands and bare feet.

Other children, between the ages of one and 13, were sitting near the mother and daughter. "They all play and sleep here," Munah, the 7-year-old's mother, said. Across from the railroad, a tarpaulin was tied to a fence that runs between the road and the train tracks. "We sleep under the tent if it rains. If the sky's clear we just sleep anywhere under the moon,"

The mother of 10 said she did not fear for the safety of her children, who roam the streets as beggars during the day, without any form of identification, and sleep roofless at night. Munah lives by the railway with five of her children.

Three have died.

"Only one of my children has a birth certificate, the others don't. I have no money to make one," she said, adding that she did not have a birth certificate herself. Munah's husband, Saniman, said he had obtained a birth certificate for his eldest son before he entered boarding school in his hometown of Bogor.

This document cost Saniman Rp 150,000. "Nowadays, I don't even have money to buy proper food for my children, let alone pay for their birth certificates," Saniman said. Many other families living by the railroad have not been able to apply for birth certificates from the nearby sub-district office, thereby denying their children official documentation of their Indonesian citizenship.

"I don't have a Jakarta ID, so my child cannot request a birth certificate here. I have to go home to Jasinga (a district in Bogor) to make one," said Ilah, a fellow railroad dweller. Birth certificate applicants are required to provide individual ID's and family cards, as well as marriage documents.

According to 2004 data from the Central Statistics Agency, almost half of the children in Indonesia do not have birth certificates. However, the National Commission on Child Protection estimated this year that of the 85 million children in Indonesia, some 50 million do not have birth certificates.

In Jakarta, one in five children are without a birth certificate. Without birth certificates, these children are unable to prove to the state they are Indonesian citizens, which often results in them losing the right to free schooling. Reny Rebeka Haning, from the non-governmental organization Plan Indonesia, said life can be hazardous for children living without birth certificates.
"Especially for street children. They are vulnerable to sexual exploitation, child trafficking and child labor," she said, adding that children can also be married by their parents because without a birth certificate it is easy to lie about their age.

Saniman said his 19-year-old daughter had been married for five years and currently had three children. "She married when she was 14," he said, admitting to faking her age because she did not have a birth certificate.

Despite his poverty and lack of a home, even in his hometown of Bogor, Saniman said he hoped he could eventually provide birth certificates for all his children.

According to the 2006 Law on Civil Administration, the issuance of birth certificates should be free of charge. The law also states that the government should actively collect data on citizens vulnerable to omission from the civil administration system.

However, bylaws to support the implementation of the law have not yet been deliberated. Jakarta Population and Civil Registration Agency head Khamil Abdul Kadir said his office would not charge for the issuance of birth certificates once supporting bylaws are enacted. "As soon as the regulation is ready, we will also be ready," he said last week during a discussion on the issues surrounding birth certification.

The Home Ministry's Civil Registration Directorate is aiming to ensure that by 2011, all Indonesian children have a birth certificate. "We are expecting that day to come," Reny said

It’s fucking incredible that Indonesian Lawmakers can enact laws to counter such problems, yet, they cannot be enacted because local authorities, responsible for the creation of Bye-Laws will not adhere to the law because, yes you’ve guessed it, “revenue” is at stake.

Although little by little, the country at national level is setting things right, at local level the need to fill ones pockets still defines the countries dependence on corruption.

In the meantime, Indonesia’s future, the children are denied education.

Potentially 50 million of them to be precise!

Random Fuckwittery


A local fuckwit tries to salvage his bicycle from Pejompongan watergate, Central Jakarta, with help from people living near the sluice.
The bike ended up in the water after the cyclist took a shortcut over a railroad without realizing a train was coming.
He jumped off the bike only at the last minute after residents shouted warnings at him.
Intelligence it appears does not reign supreme in Jakarta

Friday 22 June 2007

Funny how the world see's Indonesia


Jakarta is a hooker!

This appeared in yesterdays Jakarta Post and I am surprised it got through their normally conservative Editors. Hit the nail pretty much on the head I think!

Lipstick, stilettos, cheap makeup and condoms. These women that walk the night are distinctly familiar yet impossible to remember, and no matter the variety of euphemistic names they go by, at a base level they all mean "whore".

If Jakarta were a person, she'd be a whore. Fornicating with power and money, feigning ecstasy. All the world's pleasures accessible at a price.

The city residents love to hate is one of contradictions. A place where beer flows more freely from taps than running water and malls stand as plateaus of gluttony amid the conscripts of poverty. Falsehood has a perennial spring in a city where life is blunt and brutish. A place where even humanity has a price.

Shelters for the homeless are too few to mention. But love motels sit strategically in all five municipalities -- inconspicuous in their presence, conspicuous in their activities. Jakarta's callous monotony can also be a living prison. Scores are trapped in congestion while slums incarcerate a million sadnesses.

Most everyone is caught in the interminable daily chase for wealth, property and the pursuit of leisure time. Those who can enclose themselves in housing enclaves to keep the din of the metropolis at bay. Hence Jakarta's two faces: the modern city and the kampung.

Unlike Lady Liberty half a world away, the mistress of Jakarta makes no pledge to shelter "your tired, your poor... your huddled masses yearning to breath free". Yet come they will. Though used and abused, she is still pursued. She holds the promise of pleasure. The power to make impossible dreams come true. A promise luring thousands to her bosom every year.

The city's glitz shines bright from yonder. But the magnate resonates from predominance as the nation's financial and business hub. Though it represents just 0.03 percent of the country's territory, its activities account for 17 percent of national GDP. Friends abroad email of a beautiful summer's day in Cambridge.

Another recounts a walk in New York's Central Park. A Delhi resident boasts the expedience of its Metro. We in Jakarta can gloat over little other than the availability of kretek and Teh Botol at every corner tuck shop.

Still we are here, calling her home. Our mother, drunk or sober.

What cannot be conveyed in any postcard or email is the city's slowly beguiling character, which sways even the sternest disposition. Jakarta is not captivating all at once. Her subtle charm, like the smog, abounds, enveloping everything.

It is not a place to like. One has to "learn" to love the city over time with all its idiosyncrasies or hate it completely. Not surprisingly, Jakarta's nickname is the Big Durian. The foul-smelling fruit that those who love it can never forget, but those who do not will always regret.

For the housewife it is the luxury of everything imaginable at the doorstep, from morning groceries to roving tailors on converted three-wheeled sowing machines. Professionals have range of choice in work and hobbies thrive.

Children are perhaps the orphans of the city. With few parks and playgrounds, those who can afford it place their kids at artificial play areas in icy-cold shopping malls.

Jakarta is a place where the good, the bad and the unthinkable have equal favor. A society constantly living on a guilt edge forcing the best and (worst) of creativity to rise.

Leave her for a few days and an unconscious longing creeps in as we covet the luxuries found nowhere else: The fried gorengan chock full of cholesterol; the street vendors who sell everything from magazines to souvenirs; the umbrella kids on a rainy day; the Pak Ogah U-turn boys who are a Godsend when we need them and a frustrating hindrance when we don't; The huge range of high-end to dead-end goods to suit every pocket's need. Deputy Governor Fauzi Bowo perhaps said it best: "This city is a giant living laboratory".

But this is nothing new. Half a millennium ago, when the genesis of Batavia was emerging, the harbor borough had always been a repository for different cultures. However Jakarta is no melting pot. Instead it celebrates idiosyncrasy providing a place not only in which to survive, but thrive.

The young mohawked punks, the elderly in their kebaya, the satin-tied executive and waria trannies all have their place. A microcosm of Indonesia's beautiful diversity. No single ethnic or religious group has ever dominated, not even the so-called indigenous Betawi.

This is why we love Jakarta. The freedom to be all that one can be or even don't want to be.

It is custom in Betawi culture to present a cake in the shape of two crocodiles during weddings. Legend has it that crocodiles only take one mate for a lifetime. Like Jakarta, once you learn to love her it will be a life of unending lust.

Fuck Me...Three Months - Nae Posts!

Lazy bastard as always, I have been meaning to get around to updating "fings" but just did not do it!

I have in all honesty been busier than fuck and been travelling a fair amount, Singapore, China, Malaysia, Sumatra etc, but their is no excuse for terminal slothdom.

I recieved a comment from a fellow Jakarta Blogger "Jakartass" ( http://jakartass.blogspot.com/) which has spurned me into action after hitting the "guilt" button!

"DILLIGAF is Scottish, has been here for a year or so and, although he hasn't blogged for a couple of months, his appraisal of Jakarta in his early days here is refreshingly blunt."

High praise indeed, so its about time I started filling in some of the gaps over the last few months.

The postings will be in no strict order, chronlogically disfunctional, but, hopefully worth a view.....

Enough prattling, start posting!