australia travel warning indonesia

There they go again…DFAT and the Ozzie press doing their best to discourage Australians from visiting Indonesia.

It’s been a sort of hobby of mine since the late 90’s to compare then current DFAT travel advisories to those currently on record with both the Foreign Office (UK) and Department of State (USA).  Without exception, and at any particular time, DFAT advisories have always been more conservative and borderline fear mongering than either the UK or the US.  Why?  IMHO, a concerted effort to keep Australians home and spending their vacation money there.   Rather pathetic in my view.   

My advice, always check with these two sites for current and objective travel advisories:

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/indonesiahttps://travel.state.gov/content/passpo … nings.html

By the way, your link to the Sydney Morning Herald article pulls a “404” so use this working link:

http://www.smh.com.au/world/australian- … n3ca5.html

This is from the UK government.

Summary

Still current at:
26 February 2016
Updated:
25 February 2016
Latest update:
Summary - recent indications suggest that terrorists may be in the advanced stages of preparing attacks in Indonesia; the overall level of advice has not changed and you should exercise a high degree of caution

So lets all be careful like we always are.

Surprisingly, I have not seen an alert anywhere on Indonesian main papers before.
There are parliamentary discussions being held on the laws on terrorism in Indonesia though.

Only this

http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news … esia-safe/

The British government warning has to be found, it is not posted anywhere. So its more of a precaution I presume. Like normal.

The uk tend to be quite conservative when posting warnings so I would suggest we all take care

That online newspaper seems a good source - Jakarta Globe.
http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/

I am so used to Kompas dan detik.
However, detik is so confusing with the many ads.

Well I will be spending a few days in Sukabumi....should be a lot safer.....

Sadly I won't be in the Winchester, but perhaps I will have a nice cup of tea and wait for the whole thing to blow over.

Airport security is pretty strict nowadays all over the world.
People needs to feel safe. That is why the checks. Nothing to do with the level of actual security. It is often hard to check consistently with innovative ways of hiding.

We are seeing more and more checks at hotels, buildings, malls and even schools in some countries.. Some countries are also beginning checks on public transit.
However, if Mass rapid system one day, becomes heavily controlled and checked, it will be the doom of us all....

I like the idea of some sci-fiction films that if we could psychoanalyze people with crime tendencies using a device or chip. Or eliminate a gene that produces violent tendencies. Or eliminate diseases that cause mental health disorder.  Maybe the future has no privacy for human.

Indonesia deserves a great deal of credit for doing a remarkable job in fighting terrorism in recent years…certainly the past 12 years. 

It has shown without question that it is very serious about dealing with terrorists in the most effective manner…by either executing them after trial, or killing them on the spot when finally tracked down.

Moreover, Indonesia is a very active participant in sharing intelligence regarding terrorist groups, their movements and activities.  And of course, Indonesia is a great benefactor of that sort of intelligence from the US, the UK and Australia.

When compared to many western countries, Indonesia has seen far fewer of its citizens go to join ISIS.  That’s an achievement, particularly when considering that Indonesia is the most populated Islamic country in the world.  Credit for that achievement surely must lie with the Muslim leaders and scholars here in Indonesia.   

No country is free from terrorism, or free from threats of terrorism in the future.  And, if one objectively thinks about it, and researches the data, incidents of terrorism here in Indonesia are way, way down from what was going on the late 1990’s and to the first few years of the 21st century. 

One can easily argue, because the facts are supportive, that they are less likely to be the victim of a terrorist attack in Indonesia, than in a whole host of developed western nations.

The terrorist police are obviously active. We were driving back from Sukabumi this afternoon and in a village just past Cianjur we saw some terrorist police with guns. Good to know they are busy looking for terrorists.

Densus88?

There is clearly a terrorist problem in Indonesia, but it hasn't reached infestation yet, and the rat catchers are actively getting rid of them.

As with all stories, there's a lot the fourth estate don't print, and a lot more they don't know about anyway.

One fact remains; much as there are terrorists around, the vast majority of Indonesia's people are kind, honest, friendly and oppose  extremist ideals.

Persatuan Indonesia.

enduringword wrote:

Densus88?

I dunno, just saw these police dressed all in black with helmets and bullet proof vests and each holding assault rifles.

I also will happily say that these terrorists do not represent the feelings of the majority of the wonderful Indonesian people in this land that I call my home. Most Indonesians are against extreme violence and concern themselves with earning a decent wage to support themselves and their families. The terrorists are absolutely not representative of the general feeling of most Indonesians. Most Indonesians like to smile and be kind and happy and enjoy their lives the best they can as well as to eat some of the best food in the world which we can find everywhere in this great land.

Well said Hansson, and two thumbs up!   

I honestly believe that it’s the strong sense of community which defines Indonesia that is the main reason why terrorists cannot thrive here.  This is especially true of smaller villages and communities where it seems everyone knows everyone else’s business.  As you say, the vast majority of Muslim Indonesians do not support radical Islamic terrorism, thus there is a great deal of cooperation here between citizens and authorities, if suspicions arise.

This is exactly what led to the demise of the key JI extremist Noordin Top as he tried to take refuge in a small village outside of Solo.

Ubudian wrote:

This is exactly what led to the demise of the key JI extremist Noordin Top as he tried to take refuge in a small village outside of Solo.

Top wasn't loved by anyone, so he was always going to get shopped by someone.
I have a rather special story related to that one, but you'll have to wait a good few years before I can tell it.

That sounds like an interesting story!