Sunday 29 March 2009

Putting things in perspective - Situ Gintung

Despite how close I live to the site of Friday's tragedy, I could not bring myself to visit, not wishing to to infringe on either the rescue operations or the funerals which were taking place.


It is said that a picture tells a thousand words and these images from a young Indonesian girl called  Maria Yuniar are both telling and poignant.....Maria has been involved in disaster management and at one point was a a freelance photographer. 


Her shots are printed with her permission and her title for these images was Tears of Situ Gintung

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What was once......

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Smashed

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Hunting

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Lost

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What was once....

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Covered

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Clean Up

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Prayers

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Devastation

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What was once!

Friday 27 March 2009

It was a natural disaster - my arse!

The area that I live in within South Jakarta is known as a fashionable zone with many wealthy Indonesians as my neighbours. Normally a quiet area zoned of by “Portals” (Security Barriers) it is easy to ignore the happenings even 100 yards away with only the birds singing and the overhead thunderstorms to break the tranquillity.

The rain we receive is shared by many not so fortunate, and yesterday, a little less than three kilometres away the same rain that I complain about dripping into my house at times caused a catastrophe which, as is so often the case here may have been avoided.

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The area I live in is in red, the blue spot represents the dam and the blue line shows the kampungs location. 

In Cireundeu, a kampong (village area) only a 10 minute drive away, a 40ft dam which was used to create the artificial lake almost 80 years ago gave way. 

The rain on Thursday evening was, as has been normal for the past week torrential.
Nothing unusual, not even worthy of note as everyone is so used to it, however, this storm was to create a larger puddle than accumulates on my living room floor. 

The basin’s I use to contain the drips would have been no help to the inhabitants of Cireundeu as the mud built barrier over the reservoir gave way killing (as of current news reports) almost 70 people.

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The area is tropical, mostly unspoiled (until now that is) with the lake being used by the International Sports Club of Indonesia for sailing activities, locals use a nearby fish pond for competitions and vendors congregate in the shadow of the dam to sell food, drinks and fresh fruits, beancurd cakes and, in general, enjoy the normal “day to dayness” of kampung life.

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At 2am on Friday morning 2 million cubic meters (70 million cubic feet) of water in a wave 6 metres (20ft) high raged through this quiet village and instantly enveloped around four hundred  houses, cars were swept away, bodies of those who had been quietly sleeping were swept tree or four kilometers and the reddish brown mud of Indonesia took hold under the flood waters and held others trapped while they drowned.

It now appears that this latest tragedy was totally avoidable, although, as usual, the response from those in charge describe the disaster as natural due to the amount of rain that fell.

The Australian ABC Networks reporter Geoff Thompson is a busy man, he always appears to be in the thick of things and he was able to get an interview this morning with the Crisis response representative which once again displays the “head in the sand” approach to such occurrences within Indonesia.    
GEOFF THOMPSON: Is it an issue of maintenance or are there not being enough repairs on the dam wall?

RUSTAM PAKAYA: No, no. This is a natural, natural…

GEOFF THOMPSON: A natural disaster? 

RUSTAM PAKAYA: Yes, natural disaster.

GEOFF THOMPSON: What is the thinking about why this happened though? I mean, it was lots of rain, but why did the dam wall break?

RUSTAM PAKAYA: Oh, I have no comment about this.

GEOFF THOMPSON: At the disaster site yesterday, grown men who have always lived alongside the lake told us that never in their lives had the walls of the dam been maintained or repaired.

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I am sorry, natural disaster my arse, my heart goes out to those who have suffered and there is little in terms of real help that I as an individual can offer apart from fresh water, blankets and packs of instant noodles.

However, the lesson here is again clear, nothing gets done until after the event.

Yesterday, the governor of Jakarta said he had ordered an inspection of all dams in Jakarta.
“I have ordered the Public Works Agency to check and recheck the dams and all flood mitigation facilities and infrastructure in Jakarta,” Fauzi Bowo said.
“The incident in Situ Gintung was probably due to a lack of routine inspections,” he said.

These routine inspections are always retrospective, and inevitably, it takes the loss of life to instigate them. I hope, no, pray, that someone within the local government and indeed provincial governments elsewhere in the country consider where the hazards to life lie within the towns and cities and start inspecting, possibly even repairing these hazards before the next catastrophe.

Pictures from AFP via BBC News
Video Link here:

Wednesday 25 March 2009

Ampera Raya - Something stranger every day!

Jalan Ampera Raya is a road within South Jakarta which I use frequently, however, apart from being a short cut (although often congested) it never ceases to surprise me with sights which I cannot actually identify or understand...

If anyone can tell me what this is all about, please feel free to let me know! (Apologies for picture quality, there was no real time to compose and focus)

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Raising the profile - Taxi Drivers Redemption

Jakarta is famous for it's first impression as you step into the kretek laden air outside the airport - Taxi touts and vehicles which are perhaps the most un-roadworthy in South East Asia.

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Choose a name, Diamond, Kosti Jaya, Prestasi, (the list is endless) but they are all much of a same same when it comes to fleecing people. Mistaking your intended destination for another similar sounding street at the opposite side of town, meter fiddling (if there is a functioning meter), stoping to pick up a "friend" (read potential assailant and robber) or just plain stupid with driving skills like a contestant in the Cannonball Run, they are reknowned for their tricks and general sleekitness. 

I was therefore pleasantly surprised to read this in the Jakarta Globe, an act of kindness and human dignity that changed my overall view on these guys!

A Jakarta taxi company on Tuesday began offering a year’s worth of free rides to underprivileged children with cancer to and from their group home to the hospital.

Express Group Taxis is working with the Indonesian Care for Cancer Kids Foundation, or YKAKI, to provide free-ride coupons to children with cancer who live at the Rumah Kita shelter to the Cipto Mangunkusumo, Saint Carolus or Dharmais hospitals.

“Most children in Rumah Kita come from outside Jakarta and are financially disadvantaged,” said Pinta Manullang, co-founder of YKAKI and Rumah Kita.

She said many of the patients came to Jakarta to seek better medical treatment. Most of these families struggled with the higher cost of living in the capital, she said.

Royanti — a 31-year-old from Riau Islands Province who has lived with her 9-year-old daughter, Yulia Pratami, in Jakarta since 2006 — said that life in the capital was difficult. Yulia suffers from ovarian cancer.

“Free taxis sound simple, but they will help people like me,” she said. Royanti only pays Rp 5,000 (42 cents) a day for accommodation and meals for her and Yulia.

Pinta, who lost a son to cancer, said treatment was not the only critical factor in a child’s healing process. “They need to know people still care,” she said.

For now, the program is only available for children from Rumah Kita. They can use the service for the next year whenever they need to go to the hospital. Each child will receive two taxi coupons a day.


Someone recently mentioned to me that there is genuine kindness out there, but, unfortunately the press chooses only to print what they consider as "saleable commodity stories from Jakarta's dark underbelly" 

After reading that story, I think I am beginning so see things a little more clearly these days! Not everything is as dark as it is painted.




There is a season for everything!

Indonesia oficially has two seasons, dry and rainy!  We are still officialy in the rainy season, but a cutting from the Jakarta Post informed me on another season I knew nothing about!

"About 20 women allegedly soliciting themselves for kawin kontrak (unregistered or contractual marriage) were arrested by Cisarua Police in several places in Bogor last wek.

The women would come to villas and boarding houses in Warung Kaleng and Gang Sempit in Puncak, soliciting themselves to mostly Arab-descent people who were on vacation in the area.

One of the women, Aryati, explained that the kawin kontrak season started next month.

Unregistered marriages are widespread in Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim nation, because they are still recognized under religious law. By pronouncing talaq (divorce in Arabic) three times, a husband can annul the marriage under Islam.

Critics said such practice was actually prostitution that abused religious beliefs. "

I learn something new every day... See also the link below for the "old official line" on this subject.

Ssssshh, and turn out the lights!

Yup, it’s that time again, Bali will be closed when the island celebrates Nyepi or the Day of Silence today to celebrate the Hindu Saka Lunar New Year of 1931.

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The complete silence today is far removed from the hullaballoo of yesterday when the parade took place. Traditionally hundreds of Ogoh-ogoh (papier-mache dolls), are carried through the streets to force the bad spirits to flee and get rid of other “bad vibes” lingering on the island.

The Balinese claim that it is a way of setting the universe to rights, restoring the balance of the universe and creating a state of “somya” (perfect peace) for today’s activities which can be described as the day they do fuck all.!

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The three main gateways to Bali, Ngurah Rai International Airport, the Gilimanuk ferry crossing and the Padang Bai ferry crossing all closed either late last night or early this morning and the populace stop almost everything (this includes all activities involving lighting fires, working, traveling,looking for entertainment, watching TV, Facebook, Play Station, ripping of tourists, selling dodgy real estate and purveying the traditional salmonella flavoured satay).

As with most things in Indonesia, there is a religious body involved, the Hindu arm of the the State Department of Religious Affairs (Parisadha Hindu Dharma Indonesia), who’s job it is to oversee the celebrations.

In addition, patrols are in place, roaming both town and village, seeking silence breakers, lamp lit houses, and not surprisingly issuing fines for such infractions. It used to be that Nyepi was a day of self control and mental cleansing, it seem’s to have become considered as one Balinese put it “ an exercise in cultural discipline, and an occasion for ethnic tensions to be resolved -- at least for one day -- by the rule of law and the threat of violence.”

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This religious bureaucracy is also now responsible for approving "Nyepi dispensations," allowing hospitals and ambulances to continue operations, and for monitoring air traffic control to ensure only emergency landings and take off’s at Denpasar.

Surprisingly, there is a green “plus” . The state electricity company (the same crowd that ask for a bribe to reconnect my power when they cut a cable) monitored power usage on Bali last year and calculated that the days indolence saved three billion rupiah (US$326,087), while, using the figures for transport, an estimate figures that 200,000 vehicles and 80 commercial aircrafts were prohibited from operating.

This resulted in the reduction of carbon emissions of between 20,000 and 30,000 tons.

But, all that aside, Nyepi has also become a major tourist attraction with the luxury hotels offering Nyepi packages, aimed at tourists, expats who reside in Bali (and who cannot stand the idea of a day without electricity) and ironically, wealthy Balinese whose “somya” cannot be gained in the absence of first class food and accommodation.

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Best of both worlds, choose which one you want to inhabit while gaining "Carbon Credit.


Thursday 12 March 2009

Getting the message across......

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Yup, that's right, instead of getting a free shampoo you get free dandruff....

But, it's got to be better than......

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I'll buy this to ensure I never loose one again!

Election Update!

It's a bird, it's a plane it's WTF?

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Solving the cities problems with his underwear worn outside his trousers, or alternatively, win votes by letting the voters know that you are an Indonesian Soap stars father!

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Better still, rather than debate about ones diplomatic abilities, just put your abilities on a poster!

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Brilliant! I bet the US and UK spindoctors are paying attention as to how this election will be won!

Bite my Balls!

Being the vast archipelago that it is, Indonesia is a source of stories which vary in their content from serious political viewpoint to the sublimely ridiculous.

This little gem from Antara News Agency found itself syndicated world-wide regarding a "painful" incident in Sulewesi:

Bone Bolango - A villager in Bone Bolango district, Gorontalo Province, had to be rushed to hospital on Tuesday after a horse bit off one of his testicles.

The incident occurred when the the victim, Haris, 35, was unloading sand from a horse-drawn cart at a construction site. A witness told Antara on Wednesday that the animal suddenly lunged at Haris and sank its teeth into his crotch.

As bystanders attempted to load Haris into a car to take the badly injured man to Aloe Saboe Hospital, one of the bystanders spotted a piece of flesh on the pavement, which proved to be one of Haris’s testicles. The severed organ was also sent to the hospital.

“Luckily the horse did not chew up or swallow Haris’ testicle but spewed it onto the pavement so I picked it up and brought it to the doctor at the hospital where the victim is being treated,” the witness added.

Meanwhile, Budi, 70, the owner of the horse, said the horse was domesticated but at times it turned wild and bit people if it was upset.

“Sometimes we have to be careful when we are near the horse,” Budi said, adding that the animal once bit a chicken that disturbed it while it was grazing.

One can only wonder if the "bawbag" reattachment was successful?

Sorry, but I have been celebrating...

I was another year older on Monday, so, to celebrate a group of friends (twenty of us) had brunch at the JW Marriott on Sunday....

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Where the final tally was 34 bottles of this...

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Eight bottles of red, Six bottles of white and then off to the bar later!

The next day, a refresher was required and even I was f*cking shocked at the bill.....

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Wednesday 4 March 2009

Hardened Criminals with Swollen Goods

In a country where robbery and deception is the norm, police are no strangers to people stealing anything that is not bolted down (and even then they are not surprised) but they have got to be wondering WTF at the latest heist.

Apparently six armed men entered a Womens Reproductive Health Clinic in Surabaya and turned the place over, taking the majority of the available stock in the process.

Local police official Iyam Baffled said the masked men coshed the guard on the head before blagging several thousand condoms and other contraceptives from the shelves, cracked the safe and fucked off with about $1,000.

Police have already staked out the notorious “Dolly” red light area in the town on the off chance that the perpetrators will attempt to launder their loot!

Sunday 1 March 2009

Who would you do?

It appears that celeb’s are not only people to drool over on the big or small screen here in Indonesia, apparently you can shag them as well!

Perhaps this is not strictly speaking true, however, a number of Jakarta’s well heeled fuckwits believed that this was the case and guess what….got scammed.

Needless to say, the far from perfect scam came to an end last week when they were busted, presumably by plain clothes cops trying to knock one out over an “A” listers nubile young body.

On the website, www.hartono-sejakdulu.com, the suspects Hartono, alias Ramdoni Fuckwit , and his wife Fitriani, alias Ririn Fuckwit , offered punters the chance to shag movie and TV stars with the going rate being around 20 million rupiah (US$ 1,600) and 60 million rupiah (US$ 5,000) a shot.

From the good old Jakarta Post ……..

"The suspects displayed their phone number on the site to take orders from clients. The clients were then asked to transfer the money to the suspects' accounts," said the city police's spokesman.

"The suspects even used the artists' names for the accounts, so the clients believed they were really paying the artists they wanted to go out with. They were not aware they had been duped."
Before each "date", the suspects asked the clients to come to a hotel.

"But instead of meeting the artists, they were offered other date partners as compensation,"
Andy, alias Roy, alias Fuckwit, was one of the victims, having lost Rp 46 million (US$ 3,900) that he transferred to Hartono's bank account. (Notably, it is not mentioned whose knickers he thought he was gaining entry to)

"We've actually had several calls from other victims, but they were reluctant to file a report because they were embarrassed," commented the police, citing this as the main reason that the scam had been active for two tears and is estimated to have taken hundreds of thousands of dollars in the process.

The police also confiscated two cars, a motorcycle, several ATM cards and two cell phones as evidence.

It also transpired that the names of the website designers came to light with the gentlemen concerned being Hendrawan and Eri Arvan - director and marketing officer, respectively, of IT firm PT Surya Lintas Global who now apparently are looking at up to six years inside and fines of Rp 1 billion. (US$ 84,000)

It just so happens that my bonus has hit my account and I'm trying to see if Jade Goody is free next week.....