European Union Won’t Issue Travel Warning
The European Union has stated that it would not and neither would it recommend its members to, issue a travel warning for Indonesia, Ronan Mac Aongusta, First Secretary of Delegation of The European Commission, told the press in Makassar, Tuesday (June 4). So far countries that have issued the warning include the USA, Australia, Canada and Britain. Ronan also said that personally, he felt no insecurity while in Indonesia. “If I felt insecure, I would not be here now,” he said. (June 4)
Java-Bali Power System Insecure
The interconnected power system between Java and Bali is not altogether secure, although it has been recently upgraded with additional steam-powered electricity. This is because the demand for electricity keeps increasing. The national electricity company (PLN) predicted that by 2010, the need for electricity will reach 12,000 MW, whereas PLN can only fulfil 5,000-6,000 MW. PLN director, Eddie Widiono, said that PLN would have to find more power sources from private electricity companies. (Nusa June 4)
Roomboy Busted While Stealing Guest’s Money
Made S, 37, of Jembrana, was caught in the act of stealing a guest’s money while cleaning a room in Holiday Resort Seminyak. It all started when the Netherlands guest, Miss Postulat, realized that her money went missing several times while staying at the hotel. She then set a trap by hiding a camera in a corner of her room to record what happened while she went out. The camera was positioned to point on the bag she strategically placed on the table. On Saturday (June 5), at around 10 pm, Made, after pretending to clean the room, allegedly took Rp. 400,000 from the bag. Postulat checked her bag when she returned, found the money missing, then checked the camera. Having obtained solid evidence, she reported the case to police in Kuta. Made is now under arrest. (Nusa June 8)
Bali Governor Held Hostage
For more than six hours, members of people’s assembly (DPR) Bali, including Governor Dewa Made Beratha, and head of DPRD Bali, I.B.P. Weswana, were held hostage in the DPRD Bali office by ex East Timor refugees. The refugees had been at the DPRD office since Monday and they asked for members of DPRD to fight for their future. On Tuesday this demand then developed into yelling and ordering the members to come down from the third floor, where the meeting was being held. The DPR members had been holding a meeting since 9 am and the refugees thought the meeting was to discuss their future. As afternoon came, the ex refugees closed the exit gates, allowing no one but journalists and female employees to exit. The drama ended as police came in the evening, and separated the crowd who blocked the exit. (Denpost June 9)
Witnesses of Alleged Hashish Arrest Questioned
The trial to sentence Grigorakis Emmanouil Antonios, 33, from Greece, who was accused of keeping 160.7 grams of hashish, began last Wednesday (June 9). However, the two witnesses who were asked to come, do not understand English. The witnesses are Gusti Adnyana, an employee in a garment company, and Muhamad Rudi, a pedestrian who happened to pass by during the search. In his statement, Gusti said than on February 23 he was asked to follow a policeman to enter into a bungalow rented by Grigorakis. Police showed him that under the table there was a small bag containing 16 packs of hashish. Several other packs were found during the search. Gusti said Grigorakis admitted the hashish to be his. When asked how Gusti knew that, he said he was told so by the police. “I cannot speak English, I do not understand the conversation between the police and the accused,” he said. Muhamad also said the same. This statement was then used by the defence, who said the witnesses only knew Grigorakis owned the hashish because they were told so by the police. (Denpost June 10)
Hotels and Restaurants Major Waste
Contributors in Kuta
The biggest contributors of waste in Kuta are hotels and restaurants, said Drs Ngakan Made Ngurah of the Council for Control of Environmental Effect (Bapedalda) Badung. He said, although studies in water quality haven’t shown any real danger for health, the level of water pollution due to hotel waste shows a significant figure. “As a tourism spot, this is very bad for us,” he said. (Bali Post June 10)
Loud Music Banned, Bali Globe Bar Staff to be Fired
Recent bans on cafes and bars at Jalan Abimanyu, Seminyak against playing loud music have caused a drop in the number of guests, including guests at Bali Globe Bar. For that, the bar planned to fire several staff to cover the 30% loss in income. According to the manager, Yasser, the plan came as income for the past two weeks had dropped to the level where it had to make several cuts, including employees cut. Several employees opted for a salary cut, while 10 choose to resign. (Nusa June 10)
Australian Diplomats “Targets” for Terrorist Murders
Police in Western countries believe that Australian diplomats in Indonesia have become the main targets of murders planned by Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), a terrorist group that is allegedly connected with Al Qaeda. For this, British and Australian intelligence claimed they have obtained “specific and substantial” information. The newspaper reported that several JI operators have successfully entered Indonesia in the past few weeks, from the East Kalimantan province. It said that not only Australian diplomats but British and American diplomats also are targets. (Nusa June 11)
Watch Out for Counterfeit Rupiah
Police suspect that the current presidential campaign has triggered the distribution of counterfeit money within the country. According to an intelligence report, several major cities in Indonesia will be the target distribution places. The Rp100,000 note is the favorite of counterfeiters. In a test done by the bank, these fake Rp. 100,000 notes have a very similar quality with real money. “This is the best quality, although if one sees it in details, it has lots of difference,” a bank representative said. (Nusa June 12)
Volcanoes Erupt in East Java
Mount Bromo, in East Java, erupted suddenly on Tuesday June 8, killing two tourists, a Singaporean and an Indonesian, who were hit by a shower of rocks. Officials said they were still searching for three Indonesians who had been reported missing at the popular tourist site 75 kilometers south of Surabaya. (IHT, June 13)
Convicted Drug Dealer Sentenced to Death
Attorney General Made Mudita, S.H., stood firm in his decision to sentence the convicted Italian drug dealer Juri Angione. In a court ruling on Monday (June 14), Juri, who was given an opportunity to respond, appealed for a minimum punishment. He still pleaded not guilty and demanded freedom. According to the Attorney General, Juri said he was not aware that the bag he bought from Brazil was stuffed with cocaine, and for that, he asked for a minimum punishment. (Denpost June 15)
Travel Agents: Drivers Could Be Robbers
Police in Bali have received the latest scoop from their insiders who are under disguise as robbers, saying that several drivers employed by travel agents may have become insiders for robbers. The drivers allegedly tip off the robbers if the guests have valuables. (Bali Post June15)
Police Seize Fake Branded Clothing
Police officers in Denpasar raided a shop at Jl. Sahadewa, Legian on Tuesday (June 15). They seized hundreds of fake pants and shirts under the brand names of Quicksilver, Oakley, Roxy, Billabong and Rusty. (Denpost June 16)
