Here is the news

Gosh, I'm shocked

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018 … gency.html

The Jakarta Manpower and Transmigration Agency has said that the majority of construction projects in the capital city are unsafe.

“As much as 80 percent of the projects did not meet standards,” Khadik Triyanto, the agency’s head of manpower monitoring, said on Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com. The standards he referred to are stipulated in Ministerial Regulation No. 1/1980 on construction work safety.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018 … urday.html

The Indonesia Toll Road Authority (BPJT) is set to close the Kayu Besar toll gate on the Jakarta Outer Ring Road in West Jakarta at 6 a.m. on March 24.

Authority head Herry Trisapurta Zuna said the closing was an initial stage of the integration between the outer ring road and the Tanjung Priok toll road.

As a result, motorists can pay the toll at Kamal 1 and Kamal 3 gates.

“This integration aims to make the operation more efficient,” Herry said on Wednesday, as quoted by tempo.co.

With the integration of the outer ring road and the Cengkareng toll road, customers only need to stop once to pay. (wnd)

Nabbed

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018 … vered.html

A joint operation conducted by the National Police and the Soekarno-Hatta Customs Office has uncovered a home industry that illegally produced synthetic marijuana, locally known as gorilla tobacco. The team arrested two men, Krisna Andika Putra, 20, and Anak Agung Ekananda, 24, for allegedly running the small factory that produced 30 kilograms of gorilla tobacco within three months.

No verdicts yet, but whoever is found to be guilty should be locked away for as long as possible in the hope of putting others off.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018 … money.html

Former House of Representatives Speaker Setya Novanto has testified during Thursday's court hearing that illicit money gained from the e-ID graft case was also distributed to Puan Maharani and Pramono Anung, two senior officials of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

The two politicians, who are serving as Cabinet ministers in the President Joko Widodo government, allegedly received US$500,000 each from the e-ID procurement project between 2009 and 2012, when they were House lawmakers.

“Puan Maharani [as the] head of the PDI-P faction and Pramono [each] received $500,000,” said Setya in the defense's testimony on Thursday at the Jakarta Corruption Court.

The former Golkar chairman added that the amount was determined by businessman Made Oka Masagung, who was also named as a suspect in the major graft case by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Setya continued, saying that Made Oka and another businessman, Andi Agustinus, visited his home one day to tell him that Oka had handed over a sum of money to several lawmakers.

Others appear to share my opinion.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018 … istry.html

The Ombudsman said the Jakarta administration had committed four acts of maladministration in closing the road: incompetence, deviation from procedure, neglect of legal obligations and unlawful action.

This story is a handy reminder for locals and expats alike - Dodgy booze kills people.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018 … eaths.html

The South Jakarta Police have named a suspect in the selling of bootleg liquor that caused the deaths of eight people.

“We are continuing to investigate the bootleg liquor case and we have named the owner of a shop that sold the liquor a suspect,” said police chief Sr. Comr. Indra Jafar on Wednesday, as quoted by kompas.com.

He added that the man was found to be selling liquor products that did not have proper authorization.

Currently, the police are conducting autopsies and blood tests on the victims. They are also checking the substances used in mixing the liquor.

Indra said of the people who died after consuming the bootleg liquor three had died in Fatmawati Hospital, another three in Pasar Minggu Hospital and the remaining two died in Zahirah Hospital. The youngest victim was 29 years old while the oldest was aged 50 years old. (wnd)

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The police are really cracking down on foreign criminals.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018 … mming.html

The Jakarta Police general crimes unit shot to death a man of Bulgarian nationality who was allegedly involved in an ATM skimming case.

The shooting happened two weeks after two other Bulgarians were arrested, along with one Chilean and one Taiwanese national in relation to a string of ATM skimming incidents.

Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono said the suspect attempted to attack officers using a sharp weapon during his arrest in Tangerang, Banten, on Thursday.

This could be a game changer

http://jakartaglobe.id/business/go-jek- … -minister/

Jakarta. Indonesia is making it mandatory for Go-Jek and Grab to register as transportation companies within two months to ensure they meet safety requirements as public transportation providers, potentially increasing costs and scrutiny of the ride-hailing firms.

The Southeast Asian nation and some other countries have been grappling with how to regulate ride-hailing companies. The app-based companies say they should not be treated as a public transportation providers since they do not own cars or employ drivers.

But Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said the Indonesian government has finalized a new regulation to require ride-hailing companies to obtain licenses from his ministry for providing public transportation. The new rules would be discussed with all stakeholders "within one or two days," he told a news conference on Monday (02/04).

Go-Jek and Grab are the dominant ride-hailing providers in the country.

Budi Setyadi, director general of land transportation, said at the conference that once a ride-hailing company obtained a license it would need to follow the rules of a public transportation provider.

A licensed public transportation provider, among other things, must ensure that its vehicles regularly pass a safety test and its drivers have a special license for driving a public transportation vehicle. These rules would only apply for car transportation and not for motorcycles.

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It will be interesting to see how all the political forces play out with this one.  Aren't the words to this literature piece written years ago?  Will the influential behind the scenes powers-that-be flex their muscles to ensure there is mediation  (and not custodial time).  This will be an interesting one to watch and a welcome change from the drama of the E-KTP drama of bakpao and money trails.

Good old politics, a guaranteed way to bugger up a load of people's lives.
Powerful people are allegedly using groups of idiots in their attempts to grab even more power, and the idiot groups are very likely making a lot of money from the game, or at least their leaders are.
The cannon fodder don't matter as they're too stupid to realise they're being used as pawns.

The great game never ends, but the players change.

Golly gosh.... Politics and agendas..... Really?  Does seem like more organized behind the scenes traffic directing than our local supermarket.  I think the little people are defined as collateral damage.....

It's pretty odd, and so many people are ignoring things for no apparent reason so I tend to assume they're getting sacks of cash for offering support to whoever.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018 … osque.html

Guy breaks into the local mosque collection box, pinches a bit less than two million, gets seen, crowd beat him to death.

The local police chief encouraged people not to take the law into their own hands and to let the police do their job.

Seriously, "encouraged"?

I advise people reading this not to steal stuff as it's quite possible you'll get beaten to death and your murder taken as a normal consequence of being a thief rather than seen as a crime.
Still, that's probably a lot of the reason the crime rate here is tiny when compared to many countries.

Bootleggers are still active in Indonesia, even after all the dead people over the last week.
The police are active.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018 … karta.html

The Central Jakarta Police have arrested two individuals, a 37-year-old and a 19-year-old, for allegedly distributing diluted liquor.

"We have apprehended two suspects for mixing expensive and well-known alcoholic beverages with other substances," Central Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Roma Hutajulu said on Monday as quoted by wartakota.tribunnews.com.

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After reading your posts I certainly will not be bootlegging or breaking into any mosque money boxes.

I am going to take your advice and not steal any stuff. I hope that all the other expats here will also follow Fred's excellent advice about not stealing too because firstly stealing is wrong, and secondly you may have serious regrets if you get beaten to death. I am not suggesting that any expats here would steal, but those thinking about it should erase such wicked ideas from your minds. Indonesia is a lovely place to live as long as you follow the laws about things like stealing, murder and taking drugs.

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Murder, it seems, is fine if you've just stolen cash from the local mosque. Come to think of it, the motorcycle thieves in Tangerang got a bit of the same a year or so ago, but the crowd burnt his body after killing him ... maybe after, not sure.

The police launched an investigation into that one, I think it lasted about 30 seconds before they gave up.

The long and the short is simple - Don't do stuff or you're likely to end up all dead and grumpy, ask the latest ATM skimmer.

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http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018 … gates.html

The odd/even policy is expanding, good and bad news for drivers.

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Drugs back in the news

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2018/04/1 … Drug-Abuse

Karaoke raided, then closed down

https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2018/04/1 … se-Karaoke

To be honest, as someone who comes from a place destroyed by drug crime, I'm having trouble thinking of any argument against these actions.

Illegal alcohol is getting to be a notable problem, one that's seeing a lot of funerals, so the police are cracking down.

Apart from the law, this stuff is seriously dangerous as it contains who knows what that will destroy your insides as it hits your stomach. Methanol is a major ingredient, a type of alcohol that'll send you blind and burn your liver to shreds as your body tries to get rid of the poison.


https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2018/04/1 … -in-Prison

This stuff is evil. I have first hand experience of dealing with the tragic consequences of someone drinking it and never recovering. It still upsets me 6 years on.

The irony of the claim legal alcohol damages the health of Indonesians but local brewed toxic drinks are frowned upon despite the large amount of deaths monthly.  Put beer back in stores and the issue will reduce by half overnight.

Now imagine what would happen if they banned smoking.....

I think both alcohol and smoking should be banned and punishable by prison sentences or community service. Drugs are already banned and alcohol is banned in some places already. They are all signs of weakness and addiction to some extent. When you think about it, why do people drink alcohol? Does beer actually taste nice? Have you ever tried a pint of Samuel Smith's or Theakston's or Guinness and can you honestly say they taste nicer than a vanilla milkshake or an iced lychee tea? Or is it just to get you a little high because your life is dull or problem bound?

Fred, with your past experience in alcohol and drugs maybe your calling in life is to work with the local community in doing something about the problem. I don't mean in Bintaro as that is probably out of your league, but perhaps in Purwokerto or Wonosobo or somewhere like that. Or with your MMA fighting experience you should set up a small gym for the locals and put them on the straight and narrow. As a white face they will look up to you and your values.

I dislike smoking, seeing it as a filthy habit and an expensive way of creating an early and agonising death for yourself.
The law allows it so, much as I dislike it, not much to be done.

Booze is banned in many places here but, much as this will surprise many, I don't really agree with the ban as it limits those who don't have religious convictions regarding the stuff. Drunk and all that follows it is a different matter. I'm an ex anti social heavy drinker, not because of Islam, but because of something I didn't do because I was too drunk to react properly.
Long story and one of the very few regrets I actually bother with. Regrets are generally a waste of time and brain power, but that one is a handy reminder to not get drunk. As I refuse to get drunk, there's no fun in a night out where you're watching yourself, so I packed it in.
Not touched a drop in years - don't miss it.

Drugs are another animal, destructive in a massive way to everyone the things get near, not just the addicts, but everyone around them.
I hold strong feelings on that subject and do what I can to educate kids about the filthy reality of drug use but, as we're heading towards politics (and off topic), I'll skip my views as far as punishments for drug dealing is concerned.

Time for my morning look at Indonesian news.

As always, your great words are an inspiration to us all.

But what about the fight gym? You clearly have great leadership qualities as well as important MMA fighting experience and it would surely  be satisfying to use these great qualities to teach young boys (and girls) who would otherwise just be wasting their lives away perhaps in petty crime, to learn to fight. Just think, you could be the one who trained and discovered the next MMA world champion or Asian champion. This could be your legacy to the world.

As for the set up cost, not all that much. You just need a sponsor who I am sure would provide you with all the required equipment. I know some wealthy and influential people in Purwokerto who might be interested. And you know as well as I do that in backstreet places like that a white face can command respect. You could become a national celebrity for helping young kids get a direction in their lives.

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This one won't bother us poor people but it's a disaster for the corrupt out to dump money without the taxman noticing.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles … nesia-vote

Indonesia plans to cap the usage of cash to burnish President Joko Widodo’s anti-graft image before elections next year.

Authorities are discussing a draft bill that will limit cash transactions by individuals and companies to 100 million rupiah ($7,261) each day, said Kiagus Ahmad Badaruddin, chairman of the watchdog Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre. Under the proposed rules a buyer of a Honda City sedan, priced at about 300 million rupiah in Jakarta, will have to swipe a credit card or use a bank transfer to avoid being fined or possibly even tried for prison.

This earthquake was small but shallow/

http://time.com/5246198/indonesia-earth … ge-deaths/

(JAKARTA) — A shallow earthquake in central Indonesia has killed three people and damaged more than 300 homes.

Indonesia’s Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said the magnitude-4.4 quake that occurred Wednesday at a depth of 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) was centered about 52 kilometers (32 miles) north of Kebumen, a densely populated district of Central Java province.

Central Java’s Disaster Management Agency head Sarwo Pramana said Thursday the quake which was felt in many parts of the province killed two elderly people and a 13-year-old boy who were crushed by collapsing buildings.

So, sorry to hear that. My prayers for everyone who have been affected.

A bit of news of direct interest to working expats - and maybe those who don't as hate seems to spread.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018 … rkers.html

Furthermore, foreign workers make up only a tiny proportion of the overall Indonesian workforce. Data from the BKPM shows, as of 2017, there were only 126,000 foreigners among the total of 121 million workers in the country.

Some are attacking Jokowi for simplifying the rules regarding expat workers, even though the recruitment guidelines haven't changed - this smacks of popularist, xenophobic rubbish used as a political bent truth for whatever crazy reason they want foreigners out, but without the slightest thought as to how many Indonesians will lose their jobs if this bent version of reality takes hold.

Some people just don't have the capacity to understand that allowing foreigners to work in Indonesia will be beneficial to the country. Those people are inward looking and would rather keep this country in the medieval age than allowing it to progress to it's potential. Their minds are so warped they would rather that Indonesia was a inward looking society like Iran. Are they so scared of the capability of foreigners?

The situation is purely political. Every country requires foreign workers, even the US taking a lot of very specialised people because they trawl the world for the best in every field. Indonesia is no exception, and often in greater need because we don't have the experience rich countries have.
I'm seeing a new, tech-savvy, highly intelligent, well educated,  generation of kids coming through school, hungry for everything and easily capable of matching the best in the world, but they need the proper training to achieve their potential, that meaning drawing on the experience of foreigners.
Once they're up and running, Indonesia can move forward at lightning speed, using their clear talent and skills to the advantage of their country, and doing very nicely for themselves.
English teaching is a prime example. At the moment the need for foreign teachers is great, that being because previous generations of Indonesians have never learnt the language, but there is a growing movement where middle class kids are becoming fluent and frankly amazing. This was confined to the rich before, but that's changing, and those language skills will change Indonesia's business prospects, meaning this country has the opportunity to grow in so many ways.
As things are at the moment, Indonesia needs foreign pilots, but the education system (bolstered by foreign teachers) means we have new graduates with all the skills needed to train as pilots, meaning Indonesia can become independent of foreign assistance in aviation and so many other industries.
The best form of nationalism is giving your people the skills they need to have a better life and create a better country, not xenophobic rubbish aimed at popular stupidity, using scare tactics to create a picture of foreign interference that'll destroy the place.
If they want to target a nasty foreign power out to infect and destroy Indonesia, look at foreign education from a certain country that exports terrorist principles and creates local extremist murderers.
Strange as it seems, there is a major foreign power that is dangerous to this country, but they're allowed to continue their nasty hobby and are even supported by some in powerful positions.
This is just a matter of being clever, using foreign experience to build up your own abilities, perhaps 'doing a China' by turning a country seen as an industrial nothing into a massive world player.

"Every country requires foreign workers, even the US taking a lot of very specialised people because they trawl the world for the best in every field."

Yeah sure, from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico? I don't think so. Of course that is what the current administration wants to do.

"I'm seeing a new, tech-savvy, highly intelligent, well educated,  generation of kids coming through school, hungry for everything and easily capable of matching the best in the world, but they need the proper training to achieve their potential, that meaning drawing on the experience of foreigners. "

No offense but are you dreaming? I don't see it, but then I am not living in Tangerang. Sounds like you are talking about school kids who can use ipads and phone apps which I suppose you could call tech-savvy, but then that doesn't make them capable of matching the best in the world...duh...!!!

"Once they're up and running, Indonesia can move forward at lightning speed, using their clear talent and skills to the advantage of their country, and doing very nicely for themselves."

Yeah you wish

"As things are at the moment, Indonesia needs foreign pilots, but the education system (bolstered by foreign teachers) means we have new graduates with all the skills needed to train as pilots, meaning Indonesia can become independent of foreign assistance in aviation and so many other industries."

Foreign pilots now? Most flights I take in Indonesia have local pilots. I don't recall seeing any foreign pilots at all. Maybe 10 years ago, but Indonesia already has mostly local pilots.

I think you are dreaming and making stuff up. It's a nice sounding speech but I think more a wish than a possibility. It's pretty obvious that all that is not going to happen. Too much infighting between politicians and putting themselves ahead of their country, putting personal profit ahead of what is best for others etc. Get rid of the old politicians and replace with new younger generation of politicians and Indonesia might have a chance. Parties like the Indonesian Solidarity Party with their modern thinking are the best chance for Indonesia.

"As things are at the moment, Indonesia needs foreign pilots, but the education system (bolstered by foreign teachers) means we have new graduates with all the skills needed to train as pilots, meaning Indonesia can become independent of foreign assistance in aviation and so many other industries."

http://jakartaglobe.id/news/govt-tighte … gulations/

Indonesian Pilot Federation chairman Hasfrinsyah said Indonesia only has about 7,800 pilots and that it still needed more.

Hasfrinsyah expressed concern over the curb on foreign pilots, saying Indonesia was not ready to fill the vacancies in terms of quality.

“There are flying schools that continue to give ground schooling. Their students never flew,” Hasfrinsyah said.

Data from Boeing showed that Indonesia’s aviation industry needed around 4,000 new pilots between 2011 and 2015 or about 1,000 every year, as well as 7,500 technicians and 1,000 air traffic control officers.

Thirteen pilot schools in Indonesia were only able to produce 650 pilots every year, assuming that every school produces 50 pilots per year, which means that Indonesia was still 300 to 400 short of its necessary target.

Meanwhile, the Transportation Ministry’s head of human resources development Bobby R. Mamahit said Indonesia had only been able to produce about 400 pilots per year out of the 1,000 needed.

abdulkhalil wrote:

I think you are dreaming and making stuff up

Perhaps I could encourage you to read up on given subjects before you post.

Fred wrote:

"I'm seeing a new, tech-savvy, highly intelligent, well educated,  generation of kids coming through school, hungry for everything and easily capable of matching the best in the world, but they need the proper training to achieve their potential, that meaning drawing on the experience of foreigners. "

abdulkhalil wrote:

No offense but are you dreaming? I don't see it, but then I am not living in Tangerang. Sounds like you are talking about school kids who can use ipads and phone apps which I suppose you could call tech-savvy, but then that doesn't make them capable of matching the best in the world...duh...!!!

No, I'm talking about highly educated kids that can match kids in any part of the world, and are very likely to become top of the tree in whatever industry they enter, in any country you might care to mention.
My three year old knows how to operate a tablet and play games, just as most kids can, but the kids I'm seeing going through school are high level thinkers, very special in anyone's book.
I'm not dreaming but these kids are, and there's a better than average chance they're going to achieve then surpass their dreams.

You can't knock these kids out of hand without knowing them and their abilities, it's unreasonable and unfair.
Perhaps, in this instance, an apology to them would be a pleasant idea.