From Wikitravel
|
Location |
|
Flag |
|
Quick Facts |
Capital |
Jakarta |
Government |
Republic |
Currency |
Indonesian rupiah (IDR) |
Area |
1,919,440 km2 |
Population |
245,452,739 (July 2006 est.) |
Language |
Bahasa Indonesia
(official) and countless regional languages, the most widely spoken
of which are Javanese and Sundanese |
Religion |
Muslim 88%, Protestant 5%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 2%,
Buddhist 1%, other 1% (1998) |
Electricity |
220V/50Hz (Shuko Euro plug) |
Calling Code
|
+62 |
Internet TLD |
.id |
Time
Zone |
GMT+7 through GMT+9 |
.^ Indonesia has the largest Muslim population of any country in the world, and many ethnic groups are exclusively Muslim.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Indonesia is vital strategically, sitting astride the trade routes between the Pacific and Indian Oceans.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ BBC News 6/7/99 "....The people of Indonesia have begun voting in a general election which will lead to the creation of the world's third-largest democracy.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ Papua New Guinea visa .- Indonesia Visa : Application, Requirements. Apply for Indonesian Visas Online. 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC indonesia.visahq.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ It is surrounded by oceans, seas, and straits except where it shares an island border with East Malaysia and Brunei on Borneo (Kalimantan); with Papua New Guinea on New Guinea; and with Timor Loro Sae on Timor.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ PAPUA (formerly known as Irian Jaya, not to confuse with Papua New Guinea) .- Indonesia Mountains Ultra-Prominence - peaklist.org 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.peaklist.org [Source type: Academic]
Understand
Indonesia is the sleeping giant of Southeast Asia.
.^ Terrain: More than 17,500 islands; 6,000 are inhabited; 1,000 of which are permanently settled.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
.^ Indonesia has the largest Muslim population of any country in the world, and many ethnic groups are exclusively Muslim.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ PEOPLE Indonesia's approximately 240.3 million people make it the world's fourth-most populous nation.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ The Republic of Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous nation, has 203 million people living on nearly one thousand permanently settled islands.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
.^ Indonesia has the largest Muslim population of any country in the world, and many ethnic groups are exclusively Muslim.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ BBC News 6/7/99 "....The people of Indonesia have begun voting in a general election which will lead to the creation of the world's third-largest democracy.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Christian groups last week called on the United Nations to send peacekeepers to end the carnage in the world's most populous Muslim nation.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Indonesia markets itself as the
ultimate in
diversity, and the slogan is quite true, although not
necessarily always in good ways.
.^ Indonesia has the world's second-largest tropical forest and the fastest deforestation rate, making it the third-largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, behind China and the U.S. In December 2007, Indonesia hosted the 13th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and led efforts to highlight the importance of forests and deforestation in the climate debate.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Indonesia has the largest Muslim population of any country in the world, and many ethnic groups are exclusively Muslim.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ BBC News 6/7/99 "....The people of Indonesia have begun voting in a general election which will lead to the creation of the world's third-largest democracy.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ Batik textiles were made in royal courts and cottages, but also became a major commercial industry in Java and Bali, an industry that has experienced economic vicissitudes over the decades.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
Infrastructure in much
of the country remains rudimentary, and travelers off the beaten
track (pretty much anywhere outside
Bali) will need some patience and flexibility.
.^ The Indonesian army, like the Serbian army in Kosovo, arranged for this mass deportation of our people.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ The nuclear family of husband, wife, and children is the most widespread domestic unit, though elders and unmarried siblings may be added to it in various societies and at various times.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Foreign religious, philanthropic, and national and international organizations have supported welfare efforts by government and NGOs, though most NGOs are homegrown.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
The early history of Indonesia is the story of dozens of
kingdoms and civilizations flourishing and fading in different
parts of the archipelago.
.^ Also by the 14th century, the Hindu Kingdom of Majapahit had risen in eastern Java.- Comparative Criminology | Asia - Indonesia 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www-rohan.sdsu.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ During the 7th-14th centuries, the Buddhist kingdom of Srivijaya flourished on Sumatra.- Comparative Criminology | Asia - Indonesia 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www-rohan.sdsu.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Industrial exports grew strongly, particularly in labor-intensive textiles, electronics, wood products, and other light manufacturing industries based in the densely populated islands of Java and Bali.- Comparative Criminology | Asia - Indonesia 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www-rohan.sdsu.edu [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
.^ The Dutch did not accept and for five years fought the new republic, mainly in Java.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ With Jakarta preparing to end a quarter of a century of often brutal occupation, international aid began reaching hundreds of thousands of starving refugees.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Dutch is not known by most young and middle-aged people, including students and teachers of history who cannot read much of the documentary history of the archipelago.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
.^ British Malaya and the Netherlands Indies used high Malay in official documents and negotiations and Christian missionaries first translated the Bible into that language.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ During 300 years of rule, the Dutch developed the Netherlands East Indies into one of the world's richest colonial possessions.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
The line of division
roughly corresponds to what is now the border between Malaysia and
Indonesia.
.^ Indonesia's borders are those of the Netherlands East Indies, which was fully formed at the beginning of the twentieth century, though Dutch imperialism began early in the seventeenth century.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Second, nationalists from various parts of the archipelago saw the value of a national language not associated with the largest group, the Javanese.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ In the nineteenth century the Dutch formed the Netherlands Indies government, which developed alliances with rulers in the archipelago.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
Leaders were arrested and exiled.
.^ During the first decade of the 20th century, an Indonesian independence movement began and expanded rapidly, particularly between the two World Wars.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ The Japanese occupied Indonesia for three years during World War II (1942-1945).- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ The island of Java, roughly the size of New York State, is the most populous island in the world (124 million, 2005 est.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
.^ The U.S. played a role in Indonesian independence in the late 1940s and appreciated Indonesia's role as an anti-communist bulwark during the Cold War.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ On 17 August 1945, following Japan's defeat in World War II, Indonesian nationalists led by Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta declared Indonesian independence.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ On August 17, 1945, three days after the Japanese surrender to the Allies, a small group of Indonesians, led by Soekarno and Mohammad Hatta, proclaimed independence and established the Republic of Indonesia.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
.^ The Dutch did not accept and for five years fought the new republic, mainly in Java.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ After four years of warfare and negotiations, the Dutch transferred sovereignty to a federal Indonesian Government.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Shortly after hostilities with the Dutch ended in 1949, Indonesia adopted a new constitution, providing for a parliamentary system of government in which the executive was chosen by and accountable to parliament.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
Indonesia held its first free
election in 1955.
.^ Negotiations with the Dutch on the incorporation of Irian Jaya into Indonesia failed, and armed clashes broke out between Indonesian and Dutch troops in 1961.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Pro-independence groups in Irian Jaya, which normally refer to the region as West Papua, plan a mass demonstration of support for independence in the province on Wednesday.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ In the more open atmosphere since 1998, there have been more explicit expressions within Papua calling for independence from Indonesia.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
.^ The Indonesian Government conducted an "Act of Free Choice" in Irian Jaya under UN supervision in 1969 in which 1,025 Papuan representatives of local councils agreed by consensus to remain a part of Indonesia.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Negotiations with the Dutch on the incorporation of Irian Jaya into Indonesia failed, and armed clashes broke out between Indonesian and Dutch troops in 1961.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ He pledged that UN troops would be allowed in to restore peace, protect the population and implement the referendum vote for independence.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ In the more open atmosphere since 1998, there have been more explicit expressions within Papua calling for independence from Indonesia.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ The head, Lieutenant-Colonel Yahyat Sudrajad, called for the killing of pro-independence movement leaders, their children and even their grandchildren, Mr Goncalves said.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Sukarno's tribute to independence and unity — National Monument,
Jakarta
In 1959, Sukarno dissolved the cabinet and parliament, appointed
himself PM, and created a new parliament. He called his autocratic
rule "Guided Democracy". Much to the dismay of the West, Sukarno
aligned himself somewhat with Moscow and had the Communist party's
Dr Subandrio as Deputy PM and intelligence chief.
.^ Transmigration, the organized movement of people from rural Java to less populated outer island areas in Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and West Papua, was begun by the Dutch early in the twentieth century and is continued vigorously by the Indonesian government.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Unsuccessful rebellions on Sumatra, Sulawesi, West Java, and other islands beginning in 1958, plus a failure by the constituent assembly to develop a new constitution, weakened the parliamentary system.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Some, such as North Sumatra, South Sulawesi, and East Java are ethnically mixed to varying degrees; others such as West Sumatra, Bali, and Aceh are more homogeneous.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
In 1965, things came to a head. Dr Subandrio produced a
document, allegedly stolen from the British Embassy, detailing
plans for a military coup.
.^ Her kickback, along with a cut for "brother-in-law" Hashim and various other Suharto relatives was provided up front, in cash, in the form of a $50 million loan.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ The Indonesian government auditor's report was the first to review the accusations against Paiton I and the other 25 power projects.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Associated Press 9/7/99 George Gedda ".The Clinton administration blamed Indonesian authorities Tuesday for some of the violence in East Timor and indicated a willingness to take part in an international peacekeeping force if one is formed.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ Major General Suharto, the commander of the Army Strategic Reserve, rallied army troops opposed to the PKI to reestablish control over the city.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ General Suharto came to power as the leader of an anticommunist and nationalist army, and he made the military the major force behind the New Order.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Later in the day, Clinton spoke with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan as the violence in East Timor escalated.."- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ Estimates of the number of deaths range between 160,000 and 500,000.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ During the New Order, those not having a religion were suspected of being Communist, so there was a rush to conversion in many areas, including Java, which gained many new Christians.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ The expansion -- from 1,000 to nearly 3,000 Australian, New Zealand and British troops -- was announced after warnings that the militias were planning a new series of attacks on peacekeepers and on East Timorese civilians.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ The severe economic downturn in the nation and the region after 1997, and the political instability with the fall of Suharto, drastically reduced foreign investment in Indonesia, and the lower and middle classes, particularly in the cities, suffered most from this recession.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Suharto's hand-picked Vice President, B.J. Habibie, became Indonesia's third President.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Though economic development between 1968 and 1997 aided most people, the disparity between rich and poor and between urban and rural areas widened, again particularly on Java.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
.^ The Asian financial crisis of 1997 altered the region's economic landscape.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Everything is in place for a crisis that could dwarf Kosovo in global significance..More than anywhere else in Asia, Indonesia was socially and economically destabilized by the 1997 Asian meltdown.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ The ensuing scandal that erupted has caught world media attention in what is now known as Donorgate.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ Indonesia, which forcibly annexed the former Portuguese colony after a 1975 invasion.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Indonesia's occupation of the former Portuguese East Timor in 1975, never recognized by the United Nations, conflicted with this founding notion of the nation.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Residents of the former Portuguese colony will vote Monday on whether to become an independent nation or an autonomous region within Indonesia, which annexed East Timor in 1976.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ The people of East Timor voted overwhelmingly for independence from Indonesia in a UN-sponsored vote in August.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ East Timor's independence.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Military assistance programs were again suspended, however, in the aftermath of the violence and destruction in East Timor following the August 30, 1999, referendum favoring independence.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
Indonesia
grudgingly but still astonishingly accepted the result (although
army-linked militias looted capital Dili in protest), and East
Timor gained its independence in 2002.
.^ Some, such as North Sumatra, South Sulawesi, and East Java are ethnically mixed to varying degrees; others such as West Sumatra, Bali, and Aceh are more homogeneous.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Aceh, an oil-rich province on the northern tip of Sumatra island, has been locked in a decade-long struggle for independence that has left more than 2,600 people dead and at least 3,800 others missing...."- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ In the eastern archipelago, both Christian and Islamic proselytizing took place in the 16th and 17th centuries, and, currently, there are large communities of both religions on these islands.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
.^ Some 15,000 died in military conflict in Aceh over the following three decades.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Clinton's connections to Riady span most of the era since 1975, when Indonesia invaded East Timor, killing approximately 200,000 people -- a third of the nation's population -- and subjecting it to Jakarta's rule.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Aid agencies estimate that anywhere between 600 and 7,000 people have been killed and 100,000 driven into West Timor or to other islands.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ As a reaction to Suharto's centralization of power and reflecting historically independent sentiment, Hasan di Tiro established the Free Aceh Movement (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka, GAM) in December 1976 to seek independence for Aceh.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Through peace talks led by former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, a peace agreement between GAM and the Indonesian Government that provided wide-ranging autonomy for Aceh was signed on August 15, 2005.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ His Labour government has granted more weapons export licenses to the Indonesian military than the previous Conservative government.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
People
.^ The national motto, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika , is an old Javanese expression usually translated as "unity in diversity."- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Charles Smith "...According to his official Clinton White House intelligence report, Indonesian President B.J. Habibie is "the type of official needed today in developing countries."- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Stratfor 3/28/00 "Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid has proposed breaking his country's reliance on the United States for military equipment.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
If this wasn't enough, religious differences add a
volatile ingredient to the mix and the vast gaps in wealth create a
class society as well.
.^ Indonesia has the largest Muslim population of any country in the world, and many ethnic groups are exclusively Muslim.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ The cultures of the inner islands are more homogeneous, with only four major cultural groups: the Sundanese (in West Java), the Javanese (in Central and East Java), the Madurese (on Madura and in East Java), and the Balinese (on Bali).- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Indonesia consists of all or part of some of the world's largest islands—Sumatra, Java, most of Kalimantan (Borneo), Sulawesi (Celebes), Halmahera, and the west half of New Guinea (Papua)—and numerous smaller islands, of which Bali (just east of Java) is best known.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
This leaves 26% for
the
Acehnese and Minangkabau of
Sumatra, the
Balinese, the Iban and Dayaks of
Kalimantan, and a
bewildering patchwork of groups in
Nusa Tenggara and
Papua — the official total is no less than
3000!
.^ Indonesia has the largest Muslim population of any country in the world, and many ethnic groups are exclusively Muslim.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ The cottage carving industry of Bali finds a wide domestic and international market for its statues of people, deities, and animals, many of which are finely artistic, some hackneyed.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Funds were channeled locally to aid Golkar candidates, and they dominated the national and regional representative bodies in most parts of the country.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
The policy of
transmigration
(
transmigrasi), initiated by the Dutch but continued by
Suharto, resettled Javanese, Balinese and Madurese migrants to less
crowded parts of the archipelago. The new settlers, viewed as
privileged and insensitive, were often resented by the indigenous
populace and, particularly on
Kalimantan and
Papua, led to sometimes violent conflict.
.^ Indonesia has the largest Muslim population of any country in the world, and many ethnic groups are exclusively Muslim.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ JAKARTA Indonesia's long-stalled cable industry is getting a massive boost from Kabelvision, which is controlled by one of the country's richest congloms, the Lippo Group.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ In general, princes ruled over areas of their own ethnic group, though some areas were multiethnic in character, particularly larger ones in Java or the port principalities in Sumatra and Kalimantan.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
.^ Indonesia has the largest Muslim population of any country in the world, and many ethnic groups are exclusively Muslim.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ The inner islands of Java, Madura, and Bali make up the geographical and population center of the archipelago.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Thus Chinese Indonesians became a major force in the economy, controlling today an estimated 60 percent of the nation's wealth though constituting only about 4 percent of its population.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
.^ In some rural areas, however, such as West Sumatra, restored or new traditional houses are built by successful urban migrants to display their success.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Marriages between members of different ethnic groups are also uncommon, though they may be increasing in urban areas and among the better educated.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Whether or not the overtures occurred, the threat of Indonesian-Chinese ties will provoke heightened concern over Southeast Asia, possibly forcing a U.S. policy decision.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ Major General Suharto, the commander of the Army Strategic Reserve, rallied army troops opposed to the PKI to reestablish control over the city.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Exceptions are found along borders between groups, in places where other groups have moved in voluntarily or as part of transmigration programs, and in cities.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ AT least 15 people were killed when a car bomb exploded at the Jakarta stock exchange yesterday.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
However,
the post-
Reformasi governments have overturned most of the
discriminatory legislation, and Chinese writing and Chinese
festivals have made a tentative reappearance.
Wayang kulit shadow puppetry,
Solo
.^ The cultures of the inner islands are more homogeneous, with only four major cultural groups: the Sundanese (in West Java), the Javanese (in Central and East Java), the Madurese (on Madura and in East Java), and the Balinese (on Bali).- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ In some rural areas, however, such as West Sumatra, restored or new traditional houses are built by successful urban migrants to display their success.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Volcanic lava and ash contributed to the rich soils of upland Sumatra and all of Java and Bali, which have nurtured rice cultivation for several thousand years.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
.^ Best known in Indonesia is the Javanese and Balinese shadow puppet theater based on the Ramayana epic, with its brilliant puppeteers ( dalang ) who may manipulate over a hundred puppets in all-night oral performances accompanied by a gamelan orchestra.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ All such arts use indigenously produced costumes and musical instruments, of which the Balinese barong costumes and the metalworking of the gamelan orchestra are the most complex.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Fragile Traditions: Indonesian Art in Jeopardy , 1994.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
.^ Indonesia includes numerous related but distinct cultural and linguistic groups, many of which are ethnically Malay.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Some, such as North Sumatra, South Sulawesi, and East Java are ethnically mixed to varying degrees; others such as West Sumatra, Bali, and Aceh are more homogeneous.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Such houses exist in varying degrees of purity in rural areas, and some aspects of them are used in such urban architecture as government buildings, banks, markets and homes.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
.^ Ethnic groups (2000 census): Javanese 40.6%, Sundanese 15%, Madurese 3.3%, Minangkabau 2.7%, others 38.4%.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
.^ Academies and institutes maintain traditional arts as well as develop newer forms of theater, music, and dance.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
Anggun Cipta Sasmi is a talented
Indonesian singer who became a famous singer in France. Her single
"La neige au sahara" became a top hit on the European charts in the
summer of 1997.
Most Indonesian films are low budget B movies. "Daun di Atas
Bantal" (1998) is an exception; it won the "best movie" award at
the Asia Pacific Film Festival in Taipei, Taiwan (1998).
.^ The constitution, as amended in the post-Suharto era, provides for the direct election by popular vote of the president and vice president.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ However, try as he may, he has yet to approach the record set by the Indonesian dictator Suharto.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Religion
.^ Indonesia has the largest Muslim population of any country in the world, and many ethnic groups are exclusively Muslim.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Dissidents have wanted to make Indonesia a Muslim state, but they have not prevailed.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ A secular state, Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population and is a member of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
Nevertheless, Indonesia officially remains a secular country.
.^ And although East Timor is predominantly Roman Catholic compared to the predominantly Muslim remainder of Indonesia, the conflict there is regarded there as a nationalistic issue rather than as strife between ethnic or religious groups.."- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ Officially the government recognizes religion ( agama ) to include Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism, while other belief systems are called just that, beliefs ( kepercayaan ).- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Constitutional guarantees of religious freedom apply to the six religions recognized by the state, namely Islam (86.1%), Protestantism (5.7%), Catholicism (3%), Hinduism (1.8%), Buddhism (about 1%), and Confucianism (less than 1%).- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Religions (2000 census): Muslim 86.1%, Protestant 5.7%, Catholic 3%, Hindu 1.8%, others 3.4%.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
.^ Some, such as North Sumatra, South Sulawesi, and East Java are ethnically mixed to varying degrees; others such as West Sumatra, Bali, and Aceh are more homogeneous.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Physicians and government health facilities are heavily concentrated in large cities, and private hospitals are also located there, some founded by Christian missions or Muslim foundations.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Some eastern islands, such as Sulawesi and the Lesser Sundas (the island chain east of Bali), also have lost forests.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
.^ There were no immediate claims of responsibility, but religious violence has been rising throughout this predominantly Muslim country.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Many of the 400 students there were wounded, and a few died..Muslims threatened further vigilante action around Indonesia at the end of Ramadan.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Ramadan dates
- 2010 (1431): Aug 11 - Sep 9
- 2011 (1432): Aug 1 - Aug 29
- 2012 (1433): Jul 20 - Aug 18
The festival of Eid ul-Fitr is held after the end of Ramadan and
may last several days. Exact dates depend on astronomical
observations and may vary from country to country.
|
.^ In many areas of Indonesia longstanding rights to land are held by groups such as clans, communities, or kin groups.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Indonesia has made literacy and widespread elementary education a major effort of the nation, but in many rural parts of the country functional literacy is limited.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Indonesia is rich in tropical fruit, but many areas have few fruit trees and little capacity for timely transportation of fruit.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
the Hindu festivals of
Bali). The
following covers public holidays applied nationwide regardless of
their belief.
.^ The most striking ceremonial occasion is the Muslim month of fasting, Ramadan.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Major Muslim annual rituals are Ramadan (the month of fasting), Idul Fitri (the end of fasting), and the hajj (pilgrimage).- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
During its 30 days, devout
Muslims refrain from passing anything through their lips (food,
drink, smoke) between sunrise and sunset.
.^ Militia backed by Indonesian forces have driven more than 150,000 people - nearly a quarter of the population of East Timor - from their homes."- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Non-Muslims, as well as Muslims travelling
(
musafir), are exempt from fasting but it is polite to
refrain from eating or drinking in public.
.^ During the New Order, those not having a religion were suspected of being Communist, so there was a rush to conversion in many areas, including Java, which gained many new Christians.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
During Ramadhan, all forms of nightlife including bars,
nightclubs, karaoke and massage parlours close by midnight, and
(especially in more devout areas) quite a few opt to stay closed
entirely.
.^ For students to own many books is not common; universities are still oriented toward lecture notes rather than student reading; and libraries are poorly stocked.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ That is a third of the population or, proportionally, more people than were killed by Pol Pot in Cambodia.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ The Times 6/21/00 Catherine Philp " MORE than 100 people have been killed in the worst single outbreak of violence in 18 months of religious conflict in Indonesia's northern Molucca Islands.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ Now, two weeks later, people are returning to their burned-out homes and aid is starting to reach the countryside.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ The month ends with Idul Fitri, a national holiday when family, friends, neighbors, and work associates visit each other's homes to share food treats (including visits by non-Muslims to Muslim homes).- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Major Muslim annual rituals are Ramadan (the month of fasting), Idul Fitri (the end of fasting), and the hajj (pilgrimage).- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
.^ No one knows how many were killed, or how many will live out the rest of their lives in exile, forced to resettle in Indonesia.."- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ JAKARTA Indonesia's long-stalled cable industry is getting a massive boost from Kabelvision, which is controlled by one of the country's richest congloms, the Lippo Group.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ Many, including Indonesia's first president, Soekarno (1945-67), were imprisoned for political activities.- Indonesia (10/09) 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC www.state.gov [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Many of the 400 students there were wounded, and a few died..Muslims threatened further vigilante action around Indonesia at the end of Ramadan.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ On May 7, both South Korea and Taiwan warned their nationals against traveling to Indonesia in the coming weeks.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ The month ends with Idul Fitri, a national holiday when family, friends, neighbors, and work associates visit each other's homes to share food treats (including visits by non-Muslims to Muslim homes).- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ On Bali a lunar calendar New Year's day is celebrated with fasting, prayer, silence, and inactivity.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Muslims and Christians follow the major holidays of their faiths, and in Makassar, for example, the same decorative lights are left up for celebrating both Idul Fitri and Christmas.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
.^ In the early 1990s, the government orchestrated a split in the group, bringing Buddhist Karens disaffected with the mostly Christian leaders under its control.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ The most important national celebration is Independence Day, 17 August, which is marked by parades and displays in Jakarta and provincial and district capitals.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Public celebration by the Chinese of their New Year was not allowed for decades, but this rule was lifted in 1999 and dragons again danced in the streets.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ East Timorese independence leader Xanana Gusmao arrived in China Monday for four days of talks with senior Chinese leaders, the official Xinhua news agency reported.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ On Bali a lunar calendar New Year's day is celebrated with fasting, prayer, silence, and inactivity.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
The Ministry
of Labor may change the official date of holidays if they are close
to the weekend. There is another official day off for workers,
called
cuti bersama (taking days off together), which is
sometime close to the Idul Fitri holidays.
Climate
Upon arrival and disembarking from the plane, you'll immediately
notice the sudden rush of warm, wet air. Indonesia is a warm place.
It has no spring, summer, fall, or winter, just two seasons:
rainy and
dry, both of which are
relative (it still rains during the dry season, it just rains
less).
.^ Funds were channeled locally to aid Golkar candidates, and they dominated the national and regional representative bodies in most parts of the country.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ During the New Order, those not having a religion were suspected of being Communist, so there was a rush to conversion in many areas, including Java, which gained many new Christians.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ The above patterns are national, but there are ethnic and regional variations.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
.^ These islands plus some others have mountain peaks of 9,000 feet (2,700 meters) or more, and there are some four hundred volcanos, of which one hundred are active.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
Bring along a jacket if planning to visit eg.
Mount Bromo on Java or
Tana Toraja in
Sulawesi.
Time
Since the country is very large, Indonesia is divided into three
time zones:
GMT +7: Western Indonesian Time (WIB, Waktu
Indonesia Barat)
GMT +8: Central Indonesian Time (WITA,
Waktu Indonesia Tengah)
GMT +9: Eastern Indonesian Time (WIT, Waktu
Indonesia Timur)
Regions
.^ Maritime Exploration Minister Sarwono Kusumaatmaja said on Monday the government was studying the viability of cashing in on unused islands across the vast archipelago of more than 17 000 islands stretching 5 000km along the equator.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Indonesia may soon lease some of its 10 000 uninhabited islands to raise much-needed cash and help its economic recovery.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ The Times 6/21/00 Catherine Philp " MORE than 100 people have been killed in the worst single outbreak of violence in 18 months of religious conflict in Indonesia's northern Molucca Islands.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ East Timor currently has between 20,000 and 30,000 armed pro-integration militia fighters.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ The expansion -- from 1,000 to nearly 3,000 Australian, New Zealand and British troops -- was announced after warnings that the militias were planning a new series of attacks on peacekeepers and on East Timorese civilians.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago nation, is located astride the equator in the humid tropics and extends some 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) east-west, about the same as the contiguous United States.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
.^ These islands plus some others have mountain peaks of 9,000 feet (2,700 meters) or more, and there are some four hundred volcanos, of which one hundred are active.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Many of the 400 students there were wounded, and a few died..Muslims threatened further vigilante action around Indonesia at the end of Ramadan.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ In the wake of a rampage by pro-Indonesian militiamen, more than 400,000 East Timorese - half the population - are still displaced..."- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ The province is on the western half of New Guinea island.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Indonesia consists of all or part of some of the world's largest islands—Sumatra, Java, most of Kalimantan (Borneo), Sulawesi (Celebes), Halmahera, and the west half of New Guinea (Papua)—and numerous smaller islands, of which Bali (just east of Java) is best known.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ BBC News 6/7/99 "....The people of Indonesia have begun voting in a general election which will lead to the creation of the world's third-largest democracy.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ They number around 10,000 people and they will be deployed all over the Malukus and surrounding islands."- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
The listing below follows this
practice, except with
Bali which
is treated as a separate region.
|
Sumatra
(incl. the .^ For more than two thousand years, trading ships sailed between the great civilizations of India and China via the waters and islands of the Indies.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ The Republic of Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous nation, has 203 million people living on nearly one thousand permanently settled islands.- Culture of Indonesia - History and ethnic relations, Urbanism, architecture, and the use of space 15 September 2009 16:16 UTC www.everyculture.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ President BJ Habibie has called for a large turn-out in the vote - the first free general election for more than 40 years.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Habitat to many endangered species. |
|
. (Borneo)
The vast majority of this, the world's third largest island is
covered by the Indonesian province.^ BBC News 6/7/99 "....The people of Indonesia have begun voting in a general election which will lead to the creation of the world's third-largest democracy.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ An influx of Muslims from Indonesia's other islands over the past two decades has changed the religious makeup of the provinces, where the Christians used to have a small majority.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Uncharted jungles, mighty
rivers, home of the orangutan, a paradise for the adventurer. |
|
. (and Madura)
The country's heartland, big cities including the capital Jakarta, and a lot of people
packed on a not-so-big island.^ Actually, to make the analogy stick, the US would have to bomb Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, the way it bombed the ancient city of Belgrade.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Although most of the recent violence has taken place in the Molucca Islands, Muslim vigilante groups have recently attacked restaurants and nightclubs in Jakarta, the capital.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Rusdihardjo, President Abdurrahman Wahid alluded to a series of bombings, including one that killed 15 people beneath the Jakarta Stock Exchange.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Also features the cultural treasures
of Yogyakarta, Borobudur and Prambanan. |
|
Bali
By far the most popular visitor destination in Indonesia, Bali's
blend of unique culture, legendary beaches and spectacular highland
regions make it a perennial favourite amongst global travellers.
Administratively part of Nusa Tenggara. |
|
Sulawesi (Celebes)
Strangely shaped, this island houses a diversity of societies and
some spectacular scenery, Toraja culture, rich flora and fauna, world
class diving sites. |
|
. (Lombok,
Sumbawa, Flores, Komodo and West Timor)
Also known as the Lesser Sunda Islands, the "Southeast
Islands", contain scores of ethnic groups, languages and religions,
as well as Komodo lizards and
more spectacular diving.^ Thousands of people have been fleeing religious and ethnic violence on the Indonesian island of Lombok.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Aid agencies estimate that anywhere between 600 and 7,000 people have been killed and 100,000 driven into West Timor or to other islands.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Human rights groups said 80 per cent of the population were forced to move from Oecussi to West Timor and have documented 90 confirmed killings in the enclave.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
|
|
.
(Moluccas)
The historic Spice Islands, fought over to this day,
largely unexplored and almost unknown to the outside world.^ On June 19, more than 100 people - mostly Christians - were killed during a battle in a village in the north of the region, known as the Moluccas or Spice Islands during Dutch colonial days.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
|
|
.
(Irian Jaya)
The western half of the island of New Guinea, with mountains,
forests, swamps, an almost impenetrable wilderness in one of the
remotest places on earth.^ Papua New Guinea visa .- Indonesia Visa : Application, Requirements. Apply for Indonesian Visas Online. 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC indonesia.visahq.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ The province is on the western half of New Guinea island.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Pro-independence groups in Irian Jaya, which normally refer to the region as West Papua, plan a mass demonstration of support for independence in the province on Wednesday.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
|
The following is a limited selection of some of Indonesia's top
sights.
- Anyer - Beach in Banten province, near Mt. .
- Bali - Unique Hindu culture,
beaches and mountains on the Island of the Gods.
- Borobudur - A
largest Buddhist temple in the world.^ THE WORLD'S largest democracy and the world's largest Muslim nation are having problems.
- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Located in Central Java
province. .
- Bunaken - One of the
best scuba diving destinations in Indonesia, if not the world.^ Indonesia is ranked as one of the most corrupt countries in the world....."
- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Located in North
Sulawesi province.
- Komodo National Park - The park
includes the three larger islands Komodo, Rinca and Padar. Komodo
is the biggest reptile in the world, which only be found in this
national park. Located in Flores island, East Nusa
Tenggara province.
- Lake Toba - The
largest volcanic lake in the world. There is a large island in it,
Samosir island. .
- Mount Bromo -
Some of the scariest volcanic scenery on the planet.^ Such intimidation is commonplace now in this resource-rich province at the north-western tip of Sumatra.
- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
One of the
best locations in the world to see sunrise. Located in East Java province.
- Prambanan - A
collection of massive Hindu temples built by the 10th century
Mataram Kingdom, in Central Java province.
- Tana Toraja -
Highland area of South Sulawesi province famed for their
extraordinary funeral rites.
Get in
Dealing with
Imigrasi serves as a useful introduction
to the Byzantine complexity of Indonesia's bureaucracy.
.^ ""At least around US$25 billion, but how much further is the limit I don't know,'' he said in Cairo, where he is attending a G-15 summit.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
There are three ways of entering Indonesia:
- Visa-free. Show your passport, get stamped,
that's it. .
- Visa on arrival.^ Maximum stay in Indonesia: 60 days Group discounts Submit Indonesia business visa application Add Indonesia to Selection, and apply for more visas 1 Select the type of Indonesia official visa application: .
- Indonesia Visa : Application, Requirements. Apply for Indonesian Visas Online. 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC indonesia.visahq.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Maximum stay in Indonesia: 60 days Group discounts Submit Indonesia tourist visa application Add Indonesia to Selection, and apply for more visas 1 Select the type of Indonesia business visa application: .- Indonesia Visa : Application, Requirements. Apply for Indonesian Visas Online. 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC indonesia.visahq.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Apply for Indonesia Visa Online » To apply for visas to several countries add Indonesia to selection and return to the list of destinations.- Indonesia Visa : Application, Requirements. Apply for Indonesian Visas Online. 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC indonesia.visahq.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
Pay on arrival, get a visa in
your passport, get it stamped, that's it. Most visitors fall in
this category.
- Visa in advance. Obtain a visa at an
Indonesian embassy before arrival.
One peculiarity to note is that visa-free and visa-on-arrival
visitors must enter Indonesia via specific ports of
entry. Entry via other ports of entry will require a visa
regardless of whether you are a visa-free or visa-on-arrival
national or otherwise.
Customs in Indonesia is usually quite
laid-back. You're allowed to bring in one liter of alcohol, 200
cigarettes or 50 cigars or 100 gm of tobacco products, and a
reasonable quantity of perfume. Amounts of money carried in excess
of 100 million Rupiah, or the equivalent in other currencies, have
to be declared upon arrival or departure. In addition to the
obvious drugs and guns, importing pornography and fruit, plants,
meat or fish is (technically) prohibited. Indonesia imposes the
death penalty on those caught bringing in
drugs.
Indonesia Immigration maintains its own website
[2], but the following is
based on data from the Indonesian Embassy in London
[3],
which seems to be the most comprehensive.
Visa-free entry
.^ Lippo's multibillion dollar assets include businesses in Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
They cannot extend their stay and cannot
convert their visa-free status to any other visa status.
Visa-free entries are only permitted via the following ports of
entry:
- Airports: Juanda (Surabaya, East Java),
Adisutjipto (Yogyakarta, Java), Adi Sumarno (Solo, Central Java),
Achmad Yani (Semarang, Central Java), El Tari (Kupang, West Timor),
Hang Nadim (Batam, Riau Islands), Hasanuddin (Makassar, South
Sulawesi), Husein Sastranegara (Bandung, West Java), Ngurah Rai
(Denpasar, Bali), Polonia (Medan, North Sumatra), Sam Ratulangi
(Manado, North Sulawesi), Selaparang (Mataram, Lombok), Sepinggan
(Balikpapan, East Kalimantan), Soekarno-Hatta (Jakarta), Sultan
Mahmud Badaruddin II (Palembang, South Sumatera), Sultan Syarif
Kasim II or Simpang Tiga (Pekanbaru, Riau), Supadio (Pontianak,
West Kalimantan) and Minangkabau (Padang, West Sumatera).
- Seaports: Bandar Seri Udana Lobam (Batam, Riau
Islands), Belawan (Medan, North Sumatra), Bitung (Manado, North
Sumatra), Lembar (Mataram, Lombok), Nongsa Terminal Bahari (Batam,
Riau Islands), Sekupang (Batam, Riau Islands), Sri Bayintan
(Tanjung Pinang, Bintan, Riau Islands), Tanjung Balai Karimun
(Karimun, Riau Islands), Tanjung Perak (Surabaya, East Java),
Tanjung Priok (Jakarta), Bandar Bintan Telani Lagoi (Bintan, Riau
Islands), Batu Ampar (Batam, Riau Islands), Benoa (Bali), Dumai
(Riau), Lhokseumawe (North Sumatra), Marina Teluk Senimba (Batam,
Riau Islands), Padang Bai (Bali), Selat Kijang (Bintan, Riau
Islands), Tanjung Mas (Semarang, Central Java), Tanjung Pinang
(Bintan, Riau Islands) and Tenau (Kupang, West Timor).
Visa on arrival
.^ We did not bomb our way into Indonesia because that country is of immense strategic significance...."- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Indonesia has been trying to fight its way of economic troubles that overwhelmed the country in 1997.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ We blithely bombed our way into Yugoslavia because the country we needed to bludgeon is of no strategic significance.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
(E-tickets are acceptable.) This is checked fairly often, and
visitors without one may be deported — although more commonly the
problem can be solved with a suitable "fine".
.^ AP 9/12/99 Terence Hunt ".Clinton's national security adviser, Sandy Berger, said the United States hopes the peacekeepers -- led by Australia and largely with forces from Asian nations -- will deploy ``in the next several days.''- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ They were the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, not Japan, China or other East Asian countries.."- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Stratfor 9/12/99 ".Ever since the fall of Sukarno, Australia and New Zealand have existed in a splendid isolation.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
A
visa-on-arrival is not extendable and cannot be converted into any
other type of visa.
.^ A NOTARIZED letter of consent signed by both parents, specifying who will be traveling with the child and authorizing the Consulate to issue a visa to the child.- Indonesia Visa : Application, Requirements. Apply for Indonesian Visas Online. 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC indonesia.visahq.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Indonesia travel information: Travel visa F.A.Q. Indonesia Visa Information Embassy of Indonesia in United States Indonesia Embassy Holidays Indonesia Customs Indonesia visa in Canada Social networking .- Indonesia Visa : Application, Requirements. Apply for Indonesian Visas Online. 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC indonesia.visahq.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Corporate Accounts Travel Experts Affiliate Program Travel Tips Customs Regulations Embassies and Consulates .- Indonesia Visa : Application, Requirements. Apply for Indonesian Visas Online. 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC indonesia.visahq.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
Visa-on-arrival are only available at the following:
- Airports: Juanda (Surabaya, East Java),
Adisutjipto (Yogyakarta, Java), Adi Sumarmo (Solo, Central Java),
Achmad Yani (Semarang, Central Java), El Tari (Kupang, West Timor),
Halim Perdanakusuma (Jakarta), Hassanudin (Makasar, South
Sulawesi), Ngurah Rai (Denpasar, Bali), Polonia (Medan, North
Sumatra), Sam Ratulangi (Manado, North Sulawesi), Selaparang
(Mataram, Lombok), Sepinggan (Balikpapan, East Kalimantan),
Soekarno Hatta (Jakarta), Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II (Palembang,
South Sumatera), Sultan Syarif Kasim II (Pekanbaru, Riau) and
Minangkabau International Airport (Padang, West Sumatera).
- Seaports: Bandar Bentan Telani Lagoi (Bintan,
Riau Islands), Bandar Seri Udana Lobam (Bintan, Riau Islands), Batu
Ampar (Batam, Riau Islands), Belawan (Medan, North Sumatra), Benoa
(Bali), Bitung (Manado, North Sulawesi), Jayapura (Papua), Marina
Teluk Senimba (Batam, Riau Islands), Maumere (Flores, East Nusa
Tenggara), Nongsa (Batam, Riau Islands), Padang Bai (Bali),
Pare-Pare (South Sulawesi), Sekupang (Batam, Riau Islands), Sibolga
(North Sumatra), Soekarno Hatta (Makassar, South Sulawesi), Sri
Bintan Pura (Tanjung Pinang, Bintan, Riau Islands), Tanjung Balai
Karimun (Karimun, Riau Islands), Tanjung Mas (Semarang, Central
Java), Tanjung Priok (Jakarta), Teluk Bayur (Padang, West Sumatra),
Batam Centre (Batam, Riau Islands), Tenau (Kupang, West Timor) and
Yos Sudarso (Dumai, Riau).
Note the slight difference between the visa-free and
visa-on-arrival lists and the absence of Entikong for
visa-on-arrival visitors.
.^ Maximum stay in Indonesia: 60 days Group discounts Submit Indonesia business visa application Add Indonesia to Selection, and apply for more visas 1 Select the type of Indonesia official visa application: .- Indonesia Visa : Application, Requirements. Apply for Indonesian Visas Online. 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC indonesia.visahq.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Maximum stay in Indonesia: 60 days Group discounts Submit Indonesia tourist visa application Add Indonesia to Selection, and apply for more visas 1 Select the type of Indonesia business visa application: .- Indonesia Visa : Application, Requirements. Apply for Indonesian Visas Online. 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC indonesia.visahq.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
^ Maximum stay in Indonesia: 30 days Group discounts Submit Indonesia official visa application Add Indonesia to Selection, and apply for more visas Indonesia visa for citizens of United States is required for more information please contact the nearest Indonesia embassy .- Indonesia Visa : Application, Requirements. Apply for Indonesian Visas Online. 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC indonesia.visahq.com [Source type: FILTERED WITH BAYES]
.^ An influx of Muslims from Indonesia's other islands over the past two decades has changed the religious makeup of the provinces, where the Christians used to have a small majority.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Credit cards
are accepted in Bali, but don't count on this elsewhere.
How to get visa on arrival: At the above
airports/seaports, the following procedure should be followed to
get your visa on arrival.
- Before arriving, fill in the arrival/departure card. This card
will be your visa application form.
- When you arrive, go to the bank counter and pay the required
amount for your visa. You will be issued a bar-coded receipt.
- Take the receipt to the Visa on Arrival counter where your
arrival/departure card, passport and receipt will be recorded by
the officer. A visa sticker will be issued and stuck in your
passport.
- Proceed to the immigration counter for your passport to be
stamped.
As always, there may be variations to this layout, especially at
the smaller points of entry. Bank and visa counters may be placed
together. Anyhow, your visa must be applied for before you reach
the immigration counter.
Visa before arrival
.^ His Labour government has granted more weapons export licenses to the Indonesian military than the previous Conservative government.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ The newspaper also said London had spent around one million pounds training more than 50 members of the Indonesian military in Britain.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ The military presence surpasses even that of occupied East Timor, where invading Indonesian forces have been fighting a popular resistance for more than 21 years.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Single-entry visas are valid for 60 days and fairly
routine if pricy at US$50-100, but multiple-entry visas (quite
convenient esp. for visiting
.^ Clinton, backed up by the United Nations General Assembly, demanded that a defiant Indonesia invite an international force to restore security to tiny East Timor.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ To a great extent, this has been true in the generation since Indonesia seized East Timor during the collapse of the Portuguese empire.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ In East Timor, the cult of war reveals itself at its most extreme, and innocents die, in part and again, because of us.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
By plane
The three main international airports are
Soekarno-Hatta
(CGK) at Tangerang, Banten, near
Jakarta,
Ngurah Rai (DPS) at
Denpasar,
Bali and
Juanda (SUB) at
Surabaya,
East Java.
.^ We did not bomb our way into Indonesia because that country is of immense strategic significance...."- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Many of the 400 students there were wounded, and a few died..Muslims threatened further vigilante action around Indonesia at the end of Ramadan.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ For East Timor, where massacres and ethnic cleansing have been going on for 23 years, there are no suggestions of such a tribunal for Indonesia's military leaders, many of whom have received training in NATO countries.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ Preparations for such a mission, initiated by the United States, were thwarted by the Australian Government which sought to avoid upsetting Indonesia's armed forces.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ A US State Department officer says Indonesia is not fulfilling its commitment to provide order and security in the territory.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
While banned from the EU for a while, the ban was lifted in
2009 and they plan to restart direct flights to Europe in 2010.
.^ Many of the 400 students there were wounded, and a few died..Muslims threatened further vigilante action around Indonesia at the end of Ramadan.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Our interests are involved in avoiding a wider conflict in Southeastern Europe, which I think would most likely involve us at some later point with far greater cost and with far greater risk.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Lippo's multibillion dollar assets include businesses in Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Sydney, though, is
just 6-8 hours away.
.^ Residents of the former Portuguese colony will vote Monday on whether to become an independent nation or an autonomous region within Indonesia, which annexed East Timor in 1976.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Among them are Air Asia
[5],
which has
excellent coverage of Indonesia from its hub in
Kuala Lumpur, as
well as Singaporean competitors Tiger Airways
[6], Jetstar Asia/Valuair
[7] and SilkAir
[8]. SilkAir is actually a
full-service, full-fare airline, but they often have very good
promotions if you book in advance.
By boat
Ferries connect Indonesia with
Singapore and
Malaysia.
.^ The contrast between the comfortable situation in which aid workers operate, and the daily struggle for survival that is still the lot of most East Timorese, creates depression and discontent.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ There is no moral difference between profiteers who trade in cheap handguns and those who sell high-tech gunships in the developing world.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ And although East Timor is predominantly Roman Catholic compared to the predominantly Muslim remainder of Indonesia, the conflict there is regarded there as a nationalistic issue rather than as strife between ethnic or religious groups.."- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ These are not golf links, but Mr. Clinton's other favorite links, the links of money, connecting Mr. Clinton to the generals through Mochtar Riady, the Indonesian billionaire, onetime Little Rock banker and sometime pal of Jack Stephens, the Little Rock investment mogul.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
See the pages for each city for more
details.
- Frequent ferries to/from the various ports of Batam (Sekupang, Batu
Ampar, Nongsa, Marina Teluk Senimba and Batam Centre).
- Frequent ferries to Tanjung Pinang and Bandar
Bintan Telani Lagoi (Bintan Resorts) on Bintan.
- Several ferries daily to/from Tanjung Balai in
Karimun Island.
- One daily ferry, increasing to two during weekends, to/from
Tanjung Batu* in Kundur Island.
From Peninsular Malaysia
From Sabah, Malaysia
Visa-free/visa-on-arrival is available at all ports above
except those tagged with *, which require a visa in
advance.
By land
.^ The West's shameful betrayal of the people of East Timor continues.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ The Guardian (UK) 4/28/99 John Aglionby "...While the West blusters self-righteously in the Balkans, the situation in East Timor is being allowed to deteriorate.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ East Timor currently has between 20,000 and 30,000 armed pro-integration militia fighters.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
From Malaysia: The only formal way to enter by
land from Malaysia is at the
Entikong-Tebedu
crossing between
West Kalimantan and
Sarawak,
Malaysia on
Borneo. The crossing in on the main route
between
Kuching, (
Sarawak) and Pontianak, the
capital of (
West
Kalimantan). As the crossing is listed only as a visa-free
entry point, nationalities who do not qualify for this will have to
apply for visas beforehand.
.^ Many people from the western districts of East Timor, and from the capital, Dili, were moved by force or by fear across the border into western Timor, in Indonesia, by violence that followed an Aug.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ They soon not only found themselves harassed by the pro-Indonesia groups, but saw their region plunged into unimaginable bloodshed.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ The province is on the western half of New Guinea island.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Note: It is not guaranteed that you will be able to enter
Indonesia through these crossings and non-Indonesians are
required to apply for visas at the nearest
Indonesian Embassy or Consulate.
Domestic airport tax
Airport tax (service charge) is paid in cash on check-in.
Charges vary by airport, but Rp 25,000-30,000 for domestic flights
is typical.
|
The only rapid means of long-distance travel within Indonesia is
the plane.
.^ Similar civilian militia have been established throughout Indonesia, including a 12,000-member militia established to help ensure order during the June general elections.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ However, "private" ownership in Indonesia means owned and operated by the Suharto "First Family."- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Routes
for less popular destinations and routes (particularly in eastern
Indonesia) are served by Garuda's little buddy Merpati
[14], memorably summarized as
"It's Merpati and I'll fly if I want to", AirFast
[15], Sriwijaya
[16], Jatayu and
more, often flying smaller planes. If you
really get off
the beaten track, eg. settlements in
.^ So we need to bring in all the civil service, all the essential services to be able to manage the country," he said....."- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ "I think you'll see a development there in the next couple of days," he told reporters.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ It is a task the UN has undertaken many times before, most recently when Namibia was granted independence from South Africa in 1990.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
A majority of the aircraft are planes from
the 1970s and 1980s, which have been flown by many previous
operators and may be poorly maintained. A select a few carriers,
such as Garuda, Lion Air, and Mandala among others, have recently
bought brand new planes straight from an aircraft manufacturer
which have replaced some of the older planes in their fleet. Still,
compared to the carnage on Indonesia's roads, a flight even on an
aging turboprop is probably far safer — and far more comfortable —
than traveling the same distance by bus. Garuda and Air Asia are
run to international standards and are considered the safest
options.
Prices are low by international standards, with more or less any
domestic return flight available for under US$100 even on short
notice, and fares for a fraction of that if you plan ahead.
.^ Many of the pro-integration militia were originally set up and armed by the Indonesian military as additional security forces in East Timor.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
When
traveling off the beaten track, it's imperative to reconfirm early
and often, as frequencies are low and paid-up, occasionally even
checked-in passengers are bumped off with depressing regularity if
a VIP happens to show up. Make sure you arrive at the airport at
least 2 hours before the departure time.
Of late there has been considerable improvement in the safety
standards and recently Garuda Indonesia has been allowed to fly
into Europe.
.^ He now risks failing to please both the international community and his domestic supporters as he struggles to exert his authority.."- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Garuda has also changed its livery and added new aircrafts.
Adam Air and few other companies have been closed and their
licences withdrawn. With entry of low cost carriers like Indonesia
Air Asia the cost of travel has further reduced.
.^ In a travel warning dated Monday, the department reminded potential travelers that demonstrations have occurred in Jakarta and on all major islands.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ An influx of Muslims from Indonesia's other islands over the past two decades has changed the religious makeup of the provinces, where the Christians used to have a small majority.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
PELNI uses European-built
boats, which are large enough to deal with rough seas, but they can
still be uncomfortably overcrowded during peak seasons: ferries
built for 3000 have been known to board 7000. This means that there
are often not enough lifeboats in the event of a sinking and could
pose a potential safety hazard.
Cabin accommodation classes, all including meals and private
lockers, are:
- 1st class, around US$40/day: two beds per
cabin, private washroom, TV, aircon
- 2nd class, around US$30/day: four beds per
cabin, private washroom, aircon
- 3rd class, around US$20/day: six beds per
cabin, aircon, shared washrooms
- 4th class, around US$15/day: bed in a
dormitory
Ekonomi class on a PELNI ship
The plush cabin of an IndoFalcon fast ferry
.^ They number around 10,000 people and they will be deployed all over the Malukus and surrounding islands."- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Now, two weeks later, people are returning to their burned-out homes and aid is starting to reach the countryside.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Pickpocketing and theft are a real
concern though.
In addition to PELNI's slow boats, ASDP runs
fast ferries (Kapal Ferry Cepat, rather amusingly
abbreviated KFC) on a number of popular routes. Both PELNI
and ASDP tickets can be booked via travel agents.
.^ Last time I looked he had been arrested in Las Vegas after running up, and I kid you not, some $25 million plus in gaming debts at casinos there.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Clashes between minority Christians and Muslims in the Moluccas (Moluku) islands have cost thousands of lives since the beginning of last year.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
In general, schedules are notional, creature comforts sparse and
safety records poor. Try to scout out what, if any, safety devices
are on board and consider postponing your trip if the weather looks
bad. As maintenance is poor and overloading is common, sinkings are
all too common on ferries run by smaller companies, so try to stick
to the larger ones if possible.
.^ Last time I looked he had been arrested in Las Vegas after running up, and I kid you not, some $25 million plus in gaming debts at casinos there.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
You may get hassled by people onboard trying to extract extra
money under some dubious excuse.
.^ If they are called on to do so, they may put themselves in harm's way, or they may even have to delay landing in order to avoid that possibility....."- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
By train
PT Kereta Api [18] runs trains across most
of
Java and some parts of
Sumatra. The network was
originally built by the Dutch, and few new lines have been built
since the Independence. Double-tracking of the most congested lines
have been done, though, and is still ongoing. Maintenance is spotty
and derailments and crashes occur occasionally.
Java by far has the best railway network, with trains connecting
the capital city of
Jakarta
with other main cities, i.e.
Surabaya both via
Semarang on the north coast and via
Yogyakarta and
Solo through the southern main line.
.^ Oecussi saw some of the worst violence carried out by the Indonesian military and pro-Jakarta militias after the the UN-sponsored independence ballot on August 30.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Bali
has no railway lines, but there are trains from Surabaya to
Banyuwangi, connecting
with ferries to the island.
Sumatra's networks are concentrated on the northern (around
Medan) and the southern (
Lampung to
Palembang) parts of the island. Passenger
trains on the island are much less frequent than in Java.
Type of service: 1. Air-conditioned Eksekutif
class 2. Bisnis 3. Ekonomi
classes are also available for the more budget-conscious traveler,
but comfort and safety are noticeably less (due to congestion and
length of travel time).
No sleeping car service is provided in Indonesia, and the best
accommodation provided is air-conditioned, adjustable reclining
seats in the Argo and other eksekutif
class trains.
Ticket reservations can be made one month in advance, although
generally tickets will still be available almost to the last
minute. An exception is the very busy Lebaran season, in which time
it is not advisable to travel due to the extremely high demand for
tickets. No on-line ticket reservation is available, but
availability can be gleaned on
PT Kereta Api's ticketing
site [19].
Generally, trains in Java travel through scenic areas, and
travelers not in a hurry should consider the length of the journey
and the scenery as a bonus to his travels. However, theft is
common, particularly on overnight journeys, so padlock your doors
if possible.
By bus
The major types of buses are air-conditioned bus (AC) and
non-air-conditioned bus (non-AC or "economy class"). The
air-conditioned chartered buses can be rented with its drivers for
a tourist group. Indonesian bus companies offer intercity and
interprovince routes.
.^ Aid agencies estimate that anywhere between 600 and 7,000 people have been killed and 100,000 driven into West Timor or to other islands.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Bus maintenance is poor, and drivers are often drunk, on drugs
or just reckless. Long, overnight journeys are particularly
dangerous. Guard your bags like a hawk. In the wilder parts of the
country (notably
South Sumatra), interprovince buses are
occasionally ambushed by bandits.
By car
Indonesian driving habits are generally
atrocious. Lanes and traffic lights are happily
ignored, passing habits are suicidal and driving on the road
shoulder is common.
.^ Independence would be unwelcome to Indonesia, to Australia and to other countries in the region, because an independent Portuguese Timor would inevitably become the focus of attention of others outside the region..- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Indonesia has recovered less than almost any other Asian country, thus feeding the social and political crisis.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
To drive a car yourself, an
International Driver Permit is required, but it is strongly
recommended that you consider renting a car with driver, because
the additional cost is quite low and having a traffic accident in
Indonesia will certainly spoil your trip.
Road condition and road maintenance in Indonesia is poor. If you
go outside major cities, you should use a four-wheel drive car
(Kijang jeeps are popular). During rainy season, major roads in
Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi are flooded for several weeks.
Several important, old bridges in Sumatra had collapsed
recently.
Traffic moves on the left in Indonesia.
.^ The Marines arrived aboard a C-130 transport plane at the air force base in Darwin, the northern coastal city which is the staging area for the peacekeeping mission....."- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
In some areas, the driver is
sitting at the back of the passenger, but in some areas (like
Medan) the driver is sitting on the
side of the passenger. Good communication skills is integral to
prevent getting overcharged on these rides.
.^ ""At least around US$25 billion, but how much further is the limit I don't know,'' he said in Cairo, where he is attending a G-15 summit.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ No one knows how many were killed, or how many will live out the rest of their lives in exile, forced to resettle in Indonesia.."- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Riady, meanwhile, was also reaching out.......The Riadys' kindnesses have not stopped with money.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ There is no evidence that the political establishment in Jakarta has any control over the military or the militias in East Timor.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Instead, the motorized
bajaj
(BAH-jai), somewhat similar to the Thai tuk-tuk, serves the same
function. In some other provinces (eg. North Sumatra, Aceh) you can
also find motorbikes with sidecars, known as
bentor or
bemo (short for
becak bermotor).
By ojek
If you're in such a hurry that you're willing to lose a limb to
get there, then
ojek motorcycle taxis might be the
ticket for you. Ojek services consist of guys with bikes lounging
around street corners, perhaps identified with a colored, numbered
jacket, who usually shuttle short distances down alleys and roads
but will also do longer trips for a price.
Haggle furiously.
Talk
The sole official language is
Indonesian, known as
Bahasa Indonesia. Indonesian adopted a number of loan
words from Arabic, Dutch, and Sanskrit. It is similar to
Malay, and
speakers of both languages can comprehend each other to a large
extent. The main differences are in the loan words : Malay
borrowed mainly from English while Indonesia borrowed mainly from
Dutch.
Written phonetically with the Latin alphabet and with a fairly
logical grammar, Indonesian is generally regarded as one of the
easiest languages to learn, and A.M. Almatsier's The Easy Way
to Master the Indonesian Language, a 200 page small paperback,
is an excellent starting point. It can be found in any Indonesian
bookstore for less than 3 dollars.
The language went through a series of spelling reforms in the
1950s and 60s to smoothe over differences with Malay and expunge
its Dutch roots. Although the reforms are long complete, you may
still see old signs with dj for j, j for
y, or oe for u.
Many educated Indonesians understand and are able to speak
English.
.^ But thousands of local people have been evacuated to the Indonesian part of the island and many buildings have been attacked.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Some ethnic Chinese communities continue to speak
various Chinese dialects, most notably
Hokkien in
Medan and Teochew in
Pontianak.
Most educated seniors (65 years/older) in Indonesia understand
Dutch.
Educated Indonesians who graduated from Islamic Religious
Institutes/Islamic Universities understand and are able to speak
Arabic.
English language TV channels are available on most hotels.
MetroTV (local TV channel) broadcasts news in Chinese from Monday
to Friday at 07.00 AM. MetroTV also broacasts news in English from
Monday to Friday at 07.30 AM. TVRI (state owned TV station)
broadcasts news in English from Monday to Friday at 04.30 PM in the
afternoon.
.^ Actually, to make the analogy stick, the US would have to bomb Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, the way it bombed the ancient city of Belgrade.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Buy
Indonesia's currency is the
rupiah
(
IDR), abbreviated
Rp.
.^ In 1997 the Asian financial crisis increased Indonesia's need for aid and thereby boosted Western leverage.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Everything is in place for a crisis that could dwarf Kosovo in global significance..More than anywhere else in Asia, Indonesia was socially and economically destabilized by the 1997 Asian meltdown.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ In the wake of a rampage by pro-Indonesian militiamen, more than 400,000 East Timorese - half the population - are still displaced..."- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ Even accounting for the possibility that 200,000 or more refugees are in western Timor doesn't resolve the mystery surrounding the whereabouts of thousands more......"- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ Indonesia may soon lease some of its 10 000 uninhabited islands to raise much-needed cash and help its economic recovery.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ "There's a price of fifty million rupiah (about $A.10,000) on the heads of all my ministers and there's a much higher price on my head".- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ They number around 10,000 people and they will be deployed all over the Malukus and surrounding islands."- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ The expansion -- from 1,000 to nearly 3,000 Australian, New Zealand and British troops -- was announced after warnings that the militias were planning a new series of attacks on peacekeepers and on East Timorese civilians.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ Aid agencies estimate that anywhere between 600 and 7,000 people have been killed and 100,000 driven into West Timor or to other islands.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ A few militia thugs are still parading around Dili, brandishing automatic rifles and knives, but now the streets are not theirs...."- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ Even more important, East Timor can no longer be viewed as only a human tragedy to be balanced against considerations of sea lanes and bank loans.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
US dollars are the second currency of Indonesia
and will be accepted by anyone in a pinch, but are typically used
as an investment and for larger purchases, not buying a bowl of
noodles on the street.
.^ During the transitional period, payments made with Indonesian rupiah will be accepted, but subjected to a transaction fee.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Singapore dollars are
also widely accepted, especially in more touristy areas.
Changing money
Banks and money exchangers are widely available on Java, Bali
and Lombok, but can be a major headache anywhere else, so load up
with rupiah before heading off to any outer islands. Money
exchangers are
very picky about bill condition,
and pre-1999 dollars or any imperfect bills or (ripped, wrinkled,
stained, etc) will often be rejected. Banks in general won't change
any 1996 dollars. Counterfeit US dollars are a huge problem in the
country and as a result the older your dollars are, the lower the
exchange rate. You will get the highest exchange rate for dollars
issued in 2001 or later and the exchange rate drops for 1999 and
1996 dollars.
.^ The Lippo group, according to financial analysts, escaped the worst of the Asian financial collapse thanks to raising money to repay its US dollar debts just prior to the collapse.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
In the reverse direction, money changers will be happy to turn
your dirty rupiah into spiffy dollars, but the spread is often
considerable (10% is not unusual). Be very careful dealing with
moneychangers, who are very adept at distracting your attention
during the counting process and short-changing you as a result. As
a precaution, consider bringing a friend along to watch over the
transaction very carefully. Be aware of moneychangers who offer
great rates. They will quote you one price, and start counting
stacks of Rp.20,000 notes, and ask you to count along with them.
This is a ploy to confuse and shortchange you. If they realize you
are onto them, they will tell you that they have to subtract 6-8%
for "commission" or "taxes".
ATMs
ATMs (pron.
.^ An influx of Muslims from Indonesia's other islands over the past two decades has changed the religious makeup of the provinces, where the Christians used to have a small majority.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Actually, to make the analogy stick, the US would have to bomb Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, the way it bombed the ancient city of Belgrade.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Usually a Maestro or Plus sign on your debit card allows you to
extract easy money. Be aware to take out your bank card before you
take out the money. Some machines do not remind you to take your
card first.
Credit cards
Be careful when using credit cards, as cloning
and fraud are a major problem in Indonesia. Visa and Mastercard are
widely accepted, but American Express can be problematic. At
smaller operations, surcharges of 2-5% over cash are common.
Costs
Living in Indonesia is cheap, as long as you're willing to live
like an Indonesian. For example, Rp 10,000 (<$1) will get you a
meal on the street or two packets of kretek cigarettes or
three kilometers in a taxi or three bottles of water. But as a
tourist it's absolutely necessary to chaffer a minimum of 50%-70%
off the initial price, otherwise you will spend your money
quickly.
Fancy restaurants, hotels and the like will often slap on a 10%
service charge plus 6-11% tax. This may be denoted with "++" after
the price or just written in tiny print on the bottom of the
menu.
Spiced
nasi kuning rice shaped into the ceremonial
tumpeng cone and topped with dried beef
adom
.^ Maritime Exploration Minister Sarwono Kusumaatmaja said on Monday the government was studying the viability of cashing in on unused islands across the vast archipelago of more than 17 000 islands stretching 5 000km along the equator.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ But thousands of local people have been evacuated to the Indonesian part of the island and many buildings have been attacked.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ With no food or medicine and a lack of water, about 1,500 refugees are trying to survive in the islands' jungle-covered mountains, said Maria Teresa Vilhena of the emergency relief agency, Doctors Without Borders.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ "There's a price of fifty million rupiah (about $A.10,000) on the heads of all my ministers and there's a much higher price on my head".- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
With the exception
of
Balinese,
Padang and
Manadonese dishes, local flavors tend to be
rather simple compared to neighbouring
Malaysia or
Thailand, the predominant flavorings being
peanuts and chillies, and the Javanese in particular like their
food rather sweet.
A basic Indonesian meal: rice, fried chicken (
ayam goreng)
and tofu (
tauhu)
The main staple is rice (nasi), served up in many forms
including:
- bubur nasi, rice porridge with toppings, popular at
breakfast
- lontong and ketupat, rice wrapped in leaves
and cooked so it compresses into a cake
- nasi goreng, the ubiquitous fried rice
- nasi kuning, yellow spiced rice, a festive ceremonial
dish usually moulded into a sharp cone called a
tumpeng
- nasi padang, white steamed rice served with numerous
curries and other toppings, originally from Padang but assimilated throughout the country
with lots of variations and adjustments to taste.
- nasi timbel, white steamed rice wrapped in a banana
leaf (looks pretty but doesn't add any flavor)
- nasi uduk, slightly sweet rice cooked with coconut
milk, eaten with omelette and fried chicken; popular at
breakfast
Noodles (
mi or
mie) come in a good second in
the popularity contest. Worth a special mention is
Indomie, no less than the world's largest instant noodle
manufacturer.
.^ Last time I looked he had been arrested in Las Vegas after running up, and I kid you not, some $25 million plus in gaming debts at casinos there.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
- bakmi, thin egg noodles usually served boiled with a
topping of your choice (chicken, mushroom, etc)
- kuetiaw, flat rice noodles most commonly fried up with
soy sauce
Gudeg jackfruit curry served with an egg
Chinese-style tofu and seafood
sapo claypot
Soups (soto) and watery curries are also common:
- bakso/baso ("BAH-so"), meatballs and noodles
in chicken broth
- rawon, spicy beef soup, a speciality of East Java
- sayur asam vegetables in a sour soup of tamarind
- sayur lodeh, vegetables in a soup of coconut milk and
fish
- soto ayam, chicken soup Indonesian style with chicken
shreds, vermicelli, and chicken broth and various local
ingredients
Popular main dishes include:
- ayam bakar, grilled chicken
- ayam goreng, deep-fried chicken
- cap cay, Chinese-style stir-fried vegetables
- gado-gado, boiled vegetables with peanut sauce
- gudeg, jackfruit curry from Yogyakarta.
- ikan bakar, grilled fish
- karedok, similar to gado-gado, but the vegetables are
finely chopped and mostly raw
- perkedel, deep-fried patties of potato and meat or
vegetables (adopted from the Dutch frikadel)
- sate (satay), grilled chicken and lamb
- sapo, Chinese-style claypot stew
Indonesian chillies: tiny but brutally hot
cabe rawit
(left) and comparatively mild
lombok (right)
Chillies (
cabe or
lombok) are made into a vast
variety of sauces and dips known as
sambal. The simplest and perhaps most
common is
sambal ulek, which is just chillies and salt
with perhaps a dash of lime pounded together.
.^ But there is no one to perform the grim forensic excavation of the fetid well, and like so many other reports of multiple killings in East Timor, the number of victims in this one has yet to be established.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Many of these can be
very spicy indeed,
so be careful if you're asked whether you would like your dish
pedas (spicy)!
Crackers known as kerupuk (or
keropok, it's the same word spelled differently) accompany
almost every meal and are a traditional snack too. They can be made
from almost any grain, fruit, vegetable or seed imaginable,
including many never seen outside Indonesia, but perhaps the most
common is the light pink keropok udang, made with dried
shrimp.
If you are daring enough to try the spiciest and even outlandish
local foods, look for
Batak eateries (
Lapo) and
Manadonese eateries. These two
ethnicities have a different way of cooking than the standard
Javanese and Padang style. Very hot and spicy, with unusual
ingredients like wild boar, pork cooked in blood, dog and bat meat,
all of which are "haram" (not halal) for Muslims. Tamed
Muslim-friendly versions are available in malls and food courts,
but it's worth it to seek out the real thing.
Dessert in the Western sense is not common in Indonesia, but
there are plenty of snacks to tickle your sweet tooth. Kue
covers a vast array of traditional cakes and pastries, all
colorful, sweet, and usually a little bland, with coconut, rice
flour and sugar being the main ingredients. Es teler, ice
mixed with fruits and topped with coconut cream or condensed milk,
comes in infinite variations and is a popular choice on a hot
day.
Perhaps the cheapest, tastiest and healthiest option, though, is
to buy some fresh fruit, which is available
throughout the year, although individual fruits do have seasons.
Popular options include mango (mangga), papaya
(papaya), banana (pisang), starfruit
(belimbing) and guava (jambu), but more exotic
options you're unlikely to see outside Indonesia include the
scaly-skinned crisp snakefruit (salak) and the
alien-looking local passionfruit (markisa). Probably the
most infamous Indonesian fruit, though, is the
durian. Named after the Indonesian word for
thorn, it resembles an armor-plated coconut the size of a
human head, and it has a powerful odor often likened to rotting
garbage. Inside is yellow creamy flesh, which has a unique sweet,
custardy, avocadoey taste and texture. It's prohibited in most
hotels and taxis.
Dietary restrictions
The vast majority of Indonesian restaurants serve only
halal food and are thus safe for Muslim travellers. This
includes Western chains like McDonald's, KFC and Pizza Hut. The
main exception is ethnic eateries catering to Indonesia's
non-Muslim minorities, especially those serving Batak, Manadonese
(Minahasan), Balinese, and Chinese cuisine, so enquire if
unsure.
Strict vegetarians will have a tough time in Indonesia, as the
concept is poorly understood and avoiding fish and shrimp-based
condiments is a challenge. Tofu (tahu) and its chunkier,
indigenous cousin tempeh are an essential
part of the diet, but they are often served with non-vegetarian
condiments. For example, the ubiquitous sambal chili
pastes very often contain shrimp, and kerupuk crackers
with a spongy appearance, including those always served with
nasi goreng, nearly always contain shrimp or fish. (Those
that resemble potato chips, on the other hand, are usually
fine.)
Eating by hand
In Indonesia eating with your hand (instead of utensils like
forks and spoons) is very common. The basic idea is to use four
fingers to pack a little ball of rice, which can then be dipped
into sauces before you pop it in your mouth by pushing it with your
thumb.
.^ Clinton's move left the only remaining low-sulfur coal supply in Lippo hands, creating a Riady monopoly.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ But he did not rule out using force against Taiwan if there were any outside interference in their dispute, or if Taiwan asserted independence.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Don't stick either hand into communal
serving dishes: instead, use the left hand to serve yourself with
utensils and then dig in. Needless to say, it's wise to wash your
hands well before and after eating.
Eating by hand is frowned on in some "classier" places. If you
are provided with cutlery and nobody else around you seems to be
doing it, then take the hint.
Budget
.^ Indonesia may soon lease some of its 10 000 uninhabited islands to raise much-needed cash and help its economic recovery.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
However, the
level of hygiene may not be up to Western standards, so you may
wish to steer clear for the first few days and patronize only
visibly popular establishments.
The fastest way to grab a bite is to visit a kaki
lima, literally "five feet". Depending on whom you
ask, they're named either after the mobile stalls' three wheels
plus the owner's two feet, or the "five-foot way" sidewalks
mandated during British rule. These can be found by the side of the
road in any Indonesian city, town or village, usually offering up
simple fare like fried rice, noodles and porridge. At night a kaki
lima can turn into a lesehan simply by providing some
bamboo mats for customers to sit on and chat.
A step up from the kaki lima is the
warung (or the old spelling
waroeng), a slightly less mobile stall offering much the
same food, but perhaps a few plastic stools and a tarp for
shelter.
Mid-range
Rather more comfortable is the
rumah
makan or eating house, a simple restaurant more often
than not specializing in a type of food or style of cuisine.
Nasi Padang restaurants, offering rice and an array of
curries and other toppings to go along with it, are particularly
popular and easily identified by their soaring
Minangkabau roofs.
Ordering at these is particularly easy: just sit down, and your
table will promptly fill up with countless small plates of dishes.
Eat what you like and pay for what you consumed.
Another easy mid-range option in larger cities is to look out
for food courts and Indonesian restaurants in shopping malls, which
combine air-con with hygienic if rather predictable food.
Major local chains include
EsTeler 77 [20],
best known for its iced fruit desserts (
es teler) but also
selling
bakso (meatball),
nasi goreng (fried
rice) and other Indonesian staples, and
Hoka Hoka
Bento, for localized Japanese fare. Bakmi Gajah Mada (GM)
is a famous Chinese noodle restaurant chain.
KFC, Texas Fried Chicken, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Wendy's,
A&W, Krispy Kreme, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Haagen Dazs (ice
cream), JolliBee hamburger (from Philippines) and the usual
suspects plus copies thereof are also abundant in large cities, but
there are none to be found once you go east of
Lombok.
Splurge
A
restoran indicates more of a
Western-style eating experience, with air-con, table cloths, table
service and prices to match. Especially in
Jakarta and
Bali, it's possible to find very good restaurants
offering authentic fare from around the world, but you'll be lucky
to escape for under Rp 100,000 a head. Famous local restaurant
chains are Gandy Steakhouse and Hanamasa Japanese restaurant.
Avocado juice (
jus alpokat) with a squirt of chocolate
syrup and condensed milk
Tap water is generally not potable in Indonesia. Water or ice
served to you in restaurants may have been purified and/or boiled
(air minum or air putih), but do ask. Bottled
water, usually known as Aqua after the best-known brand,
is cheap and available everywhere, but check that the seal is
intact.
Most hotels provide free drinking water because tap water is
rarely potable. Do not use tap water for brushing your teeth. Also
beware of ice which may not have been prepared with potable water
or kept in hygienic conditions.
Quite a few Indonesians believe that cold drinks are unhealthy,
so specify dingin when ordering if you prefer your water,
bottled tea or beer cold, rather than at room temperature.
Juices
Fruit juices — jus for plain juice or es if
served with ice — are popular with Indonesians and visitors alike,
although the hygiene of the water used to make them can be dubious.
In addition to the usual suspects, try jus alpokat, a
surprisingly tasty drink made from avocadoes, often with some
chocolate syrup poured in!
Coffee and tea
Indonesians drink both coffee (
kopi) and tea
(
teh), at least as long as they have had vast quantities
of sugar added in. An authentic cup of
Java, known as
kopi tubruk, is strong and
sweet, but let the grounds settle to the bottom of the cup before
you drink it.
.^ According to a study commissioned by the Australian Parliament, "at least" 200,000 East Timorese have died as a direct result of the Indonesian invasion and occupation.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ House of Representatives 4/15/97 Rep Cunningham "...In 1992, Candidate Clinton described as unconscionable Indonesia's treatment of the East Timorese, 200,000 of whom had perished since Indonesia had annexed East Timor 20 years ago.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Even accounting for the possibility that 200,000 or more refugees are in western Timor doesn't resolve the mystery surrounding the whereabouts of thousands more......"- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Tea (teh) is also quite popular, and the Coke-like
glass bottles of the Tehbotol brand of sweet
bottled jasmine tea are ubiquitous.
Jamu
The label jamu covers a vast range of
local medicinal drinks for various diseases. Jamu are available in
ready-to-drink form as well as in powder satchets or capsules. Most
of them are bitter and drunk for the supposed effect, not the
taste. Famous brands of jamu include Iboe,
Sido Muncul, Jago, and
Meneer; avoid buying jamu from the street as the
water quality is dubious. Some well-known jamu include:
- galian singset — weight reduction
- beras kencur (from rice, sand ginger and brown sugar)
— cough, fatigue
- temulawak (from curcuma) — for liver disease
- gula asem (from tamarind and brown sugar) — rich in
vitamin C
- kunyit asam (from tamarind, turmeric) — for skin care,
canker sores
- Wedang Serbat - made from star anise, cardamon,
tamarind, ginger, and sugar. Wedang means "hot water".
- Ronde - made from ginger, powdered glutinous rice,
peanut, salt, sugar, food coloring additives.
[21]
- Wedang Sekoteng - made from ginger, green pea, peanut,
pomegranate, milk, sugar, salt and mixed with ronde (see
above).
- Bajigur - made from coffee, salt, brown sugar, cocount
milk, sugar palm fruit, vanillin.
- Bandrek - made from brown sugar, ginger, pandanus
leaf, coconut meat, clove bud, salt, cinnamon, coffee.
- Cinna-Ale - made from cinnamon, ginger, tamarind, sand
ginger and 13 other spices.
- Cendol/Dawet - made from rice flour, sago palm flour,
pandanus leaf, salt, food coloring additives.
- Talua Tea/Teh Telur (West Sumatra) - made from tea
powder, raw egg, sugar and limau nipis.
- Lidah Buaya Ice (West Kalimantan) - made from aloe
vera, french basil, javanese black jelly, coconut milk, palm sugar,
pandanus leaf, sugar.
Alcohol
Islam is the religion of the majority of Indonesians, but
alcohol is widely available in most areas, especially in upscale
restaurants and bars. Public displays of drunkenness, however, are
strongly frowned upon and in the larger cities are likely to make
you a victim of crime or get you arrested by police. Do not drive
if you are drunk. The legal drinking age is 18.
Indonesia's most popular tipple is
Bintang [22] beer
(
bir), a standard-issue lager available more or less
everywhere, although the locals like theirs lukewarm. Other popular
beers include
Bali Hai [23] and
Anker. A can costs upward of Rp 5,000 in a
supermarket and as much as Rp 50,000 in a fancy bar.
Wine is expensive and only available in expensive restaurants
and bars in large hotels. Almost all of it is imported, but there
are a few local vintners of varying quality on
Bali.
Various traditional alcoholic drinks are also available:
- Tuak — sugar palm wine (15% alcohol)
- Arak — the distilled version of tuak,
up to 40%
- Brem Balinese
style sweet glutinous rice wine
Exercise some caution in choosing what and where to buy —
homemade moonshine may contain all sorts of nasty impurities.
.^ Rusdihardjo, President Abdurrahman Wahid alluded to a series of bombings, including one that killed 15 people beneath the Jakarta Stock Exchange.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Smoke
.^ But there is no one to perform the grim forensic excavation of the fetid well, and like so many other reports of multiple killings in East Timor, the number of victims in this one has yet to be established.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ He was released after the August ballot and is widely expected to become the new nation's first president.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Popular brands of
kretek include
Djarum,
Gudang Garam,
Bentoel and
Sampoerna (Dji Sam
Soe, 234). A pack of decent
kretek will cost you on the
order of Rp 9000. Note that the cheapest brands don't have
filters!
Kretek are lower in nicotine but higher in tar than normal
cigarettes; an unfiltered Dji Sam Soe has 39 mg tar and 2.3 mg
nicotine. Most studies indicate that the overall health effects are
roughly the same as for traditional western-style cigarettes.
.^ Although most of the recent violence has taken place in the Molucca Islands, Muslim vigilante groups have recently attacked restaurants and nightclubs in Jakarta, the capital.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Anyone violating this ban can be fined up to US$ 5000.
If you want to smoke check with the locals by asking: "Boleh
merokok?".
Sleep
In popular travel destinations like
Bali and
Jakarta accommodation options run the gamut,
from cheap backpacker guesthouses to some of the most opulent (and
expensive) five-star hotels and resorts imaginable.
Off the beaten track, though, your options will be more limited.
Probably the most common lodging choice for backpackers is the
losmen, or guesthouse, which also go by
the names wisma or pondok. Often under
US$10/night, basic losmen are fan-cooled and have shared bathroom
facilities, usually meaning Asian-style squat toilets and
mandi (water tank) baths, from which you ladle water over
yourself (do not enter one!). Very small losmen,
essentially homestays or rented rooms, are known as
penginapan.
The next step up on the scale are cheap Chinese-run
hotels, usually found even in the smallest towns and
cities, typically near transport terminals. These may have little
luxuries like air-conditioning and hot water, but tend to be rather
depressing otherwise, with tiny, often windowless rooms.
By law, all hotels have to display a price list (
daftar
harga).
.^ If the United States can't do better than it did in East Timor, Clinton should just quit saying "never again."- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Learn
.^ One 1994 document, obtained by Larry Klayman of Judicial Watch, noted the Indonesian government-backed project had "state-of-the-art emissions-control technology...- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Participants can
choose to study at any of the state universities and colleges
participating in the program. Some foreign students from Australia,
Japan, Korea, Thailand, Poland, and Nigeria study Indonesian
Language and culture at Universitas Gajah Mada (UGM) in
Jogyakarta.
.^ One building - the police station - hides one of the most shocking of many shocking stories that have emerged so far from East Timor's killing fields.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ It was he who chose to offer the ballot to East Timor which has resulted in what is still a shocking defeat to many in Jakarta.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ A five-member UN mission is in Jakarta to urge the Indonesian government either to bring East Timor under control or allow UN involvement in restoring the peace.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Oecussi saw some of the worst violence carried out by the Indonesian military and pro-Jakarta militias after the the UN-sponsored independence ballot on August 30.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
For university
education in English, one can consider studying at Swiss-German
University
[24],
Universitas Pelita Harapan
[25], or
President University
[26], all of which are
located in Jakarta. Enquire before you enroll.
Work
.^ Prior to this, and since Indonesia's invasion of East Timor in 1975, 275,000 people out of a then population of 690,000 have died from war, starvation and disease, including 60,000 killed in mass executions in the first two months.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Here in Balibo, once home to 15,000 people, they found exactly one local resident--an elderly woman, believed to be deaf, who was left behind when the rest of the town fled.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ The Australia-Indonesia defense pact and arms sales were shattered by tension between the two nations.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Some adults above 20
stay with their parents to save money. Nevertheless, the main
reason they stay with parents is it is considered impolite to leave
parents on their own.
Expats usually earn higher salaries. An English teacher could
make between Rp. 7,500,000 - Rp. 8,000,000 (US$800 - US$850) and
that is considered high by the local standard.
Indonesia has been and continues to be wracked by every
pestilence known to man: earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes,
terrorism, civil strife, plane crashes, corruption and crime make
the headlines on a depressingly regular basis. However, it is
important to retain a
sense of proportion and
remember Indonesia's
vast size: a tsunami in
Aceh will not cause the slightest
ripple on the beaches of
Bali, and
street battles in troubled
Central Sulawesi are irrelevant in the
jungles of
Papua.
Crime
The
crime rate has increased in recent years,
but fortunately it remains mostly non-violent and guns are rare.
Robbery, theft and
pickpocketing are common in Indonesia,
particularly in markets, public transport and pedestrian
overpasses. Avoid flashing jewelry, gold watches, MP3 players or
large cameras. Thieves have been known to snatch laptops, PDAs and
cellphones from Internet hotspot areas.
Crime is rampant on local and long-distance public transport
(bus, train, ships). Do not accept drinks from strangers, as they
may be laced with drugs. Choose your taxis carefully in cities
(hotel taxis are often best), lock doors when inside and avoid
using cellular phones, MP3 players, PDAs or laptops at traffic
lights or in traffic jams.
Do not place valuable items in checked baggage, as they may be
stolen by baggage handlers. Do not leave valuable items in an empty
hotel room, and use the hotel's safe deposit box instead of the
in-room safe.
Do not draw large amounts of cash from banks or ATMs. Guard your
belongings carefully and consider carrying a money clip instead of
a wallet.
Corruption
.^ JAKARTA Indonesia's long-stalled cable industry is getting a massive boost from Kabelvision, which is controlled by one of the country's richest congloms, the Lippo Group.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Indonesian coal, the project will be one of the cleanest, most efficient coal-fired facilities in the world."- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ FoxNews 8/8/99 AP "...A local journalist investigating corruption was found dead in Aceh, one of Indonesia's troubled provinces, a newspaper reported Sunday.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Officials may ask for bribes, tips or "gifts" — the Indonesian
terms are
uang kopi or
uang rokok, literally
"coffee money" and "cigarette money" — to supplement their meager
salaries; pretending you do not understand may work. Generally,
being polite, smiling, asking for an official receipt for any
'fees' you are asked to pay, more politeness, more smiling, will
avoid any problems.
The going rate for paying your way out of small offenses (not
carrying your passport, losing the departure card, minor or
imaginary traffic violation, etc) is Rp 50,000 ($4.50). It's common
for police to initially demand silly amounts or threaten you with
going to the station, but keep cool and they'll be more reasonable.
Also note that if your taxi/bus/car driver is stopped, any fine or
bribe is not your problem and it's best not to get involved. (If
it's clear that the police were out of line, your driver certainly
won't object if you compensate him afterwards though.)
Civil strife and
terrorism
.^ In a separate clash, three separatists were killed by security forces in restive Aceh province, Indonesian media reported.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ FoxNews 8/8/99 AP "...A local journalist investigating corruption was found dead in Aceh, one of Indonesia's troubled provinces, a newspaper reported Sunday.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ Thousands of Muslim Jihad militia continue to raid the area, slaughtering communities and driving tens of thousands of Christians out.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Clashes between minority Christians and Muslims in the Moluccas (Moluku) islands have cost thousands of lives since the beginning of last year.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Islamic Views 4/6/00 AFP ".Thousands of Muslims, many in white robes and carrying swords, rallied in a central Jakarta stadium Thursday to support the launching of a Jihad against Christians in the troubled Maluku islands this month.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ Many people from the western districts of East Timor, and from the capital, Dili, were moved by force or by fear across the border into western Timor, in Indonesia, by violence that followed an Aug.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Scores were injured as riot police and students clashed Police and demonstrators have been involved in violent clashes on the streets of the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, with several injuries reported.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Oecussi saw some of the worst violence carried out by the Indonesian military and pro-Jakarta militias after the the UN-sponsored independence ballot on August 30.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Travel permits (
surat jalan) are
required for entering conflict areas such as much of Papua and Poso
and Palu in central Sulawesi.
.^ Prior to this, and since Indonesia's invasion of East Timor in 1975, 275,000 people out of a then population of 690,000 have died from war, starvation and disease, including 60,000 killed in mass executions in the first two months.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Clinton's connections to Riady span most of the era since 1975, when Indonesia invaded East Timor, killing approximately 200,000 people -- a third of the nation's population -- and subjecting it to Jakarta's rule.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Although most of the recent violence has taken place in the Molucca Islands, Muslim vigilante groups have recently attacked restaurants and nightclubs in Jakarta, the capital.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ Although most of the recent violence has taken place in the Molucca Islands, Muslim vigilante groups have recently attacked restaurants and nightclubs in Jakarta, the capital.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Drugs
.^ The United States, which has had a long and cosy relationship with dictators and dictatorship in Indonesia, is having a hard time coming to terms with Indonesia's struggling, year-old democracy.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
By far the most common is marijuana (known as
gele or
cimeng), which is not only sold to
tourists but is used as food in some parts of the country, notably
Aceh. Magic mushrooms are
advertised openly in parts of
Bali
and
Lombok, and hard drugs are
common in the
Jakarta
nightlife scene.
.^ And I don't want to rule out anything categorically but the focus is not on infantry forces.''- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Mission CEO John Bryson even wrote Brown, thanking him for the overwhelming efforts from 1994 through 1995 to get the Indonesians to buy their Paiton bid.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ A corruption scandal at the heart of the country's banking system and fresh violence in the outlying provinces combined today to drive the value of the currency, the rupiah, down ..."- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Natural disasters
.^ But there was no report of a tsunami, a massive wave caused by an earthquake or volcanic eruption.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ The main church in the Spice Island provincial capital of Ambon was set on fire along with a mosque.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ In December 1992, a magnitude 7 earthquake caused a tsunami that killed about 2,500 people on the southeastern island of Flores.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Realistically, there is
little you can do to avoid these risks, but familiarize yourself
with the warning signs and pay special heed to fire escape routes
in hotels.
Wildlife
.^ They would also face some of Indonesias military (including Kopassus, Indonesias special forces), as it is unclear whether there is any command and control over troops in the area.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ They soon not only found themselves harassed by the pro-Indonesia groups, but saw their region plunged into unimaginable bloodshed.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Break like the wind
Most Indonesians have not yet quite accepted the germ theory of
disease: instead, any flu-like diseases are covered under the
concept of masuk angin, lit. .^ He said that if Indonesia, which has declared martial law in East Timor, failed to restore order within 48 hours, ``the international community will have to consider what other measures it can take to assist the Indonesia government.''- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Indonesia has recovered less than almost any other Asian country, thus feeding the social and political crisis.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
|
.^ The good news is that in some places there has been some international response.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Malaria
prophylaxis is not necessary for
Java or
Bali, but
is wise if traveling for extended periods in remote area of
Sumatra,
Borneo,
Lombok or points east. Dengue fever can be
contracted anywhere and using insect repellents (DEET) and mosquito
nets is highly advisable.
Hepatitis is also common
and getting vaccinated before arriving in Indonesia is wise.
Food hygiene is often questionable and getting vaccinated for
hepatitis A and possibly typhoid fever is a wise precaution.
.^ The militias are so powerful that within a few days they were able to gain control most of the former Portuguese colony.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
The air quality in major cities, especially
Jakarta and
Surabaya, is poor, and the seasonal haze
(June-October) from forest fires on
Borneo and
Sumatra can also cause respiratory problems. If
you have asthma, bring your medicine and breather.
Recent years have seen outbreaks of polio and anthrax in rural
parts of Java and rabies in East Nusa Tenggara. Avian
influenza (bird flu) has also made headlines, but
outbreaks are sporadic and limited to people who deal with live or
dead poultry in rural areas. Eating cooked chicken appears to be
safe.
The local Indonesian health care system is
not up to
western standards. While a short term stay in an
Indonesian hospital or medical center for simple health problems is
probably not markedly different to a western facility, serious and
critical medical emergencies will stretch the system to the limit.
In fact, many rich Indonesians often choose to travel to
neighboring
Singapore to
receive more serious health care.
SOS Indonesia [27] (24-hour emergency
line +62-21-7506001) specializes in treating expats and has English
staff on duty, but charges are correspondingly high. In any case,
travel health insurance that includes
medical
evacuation back to a home country is highly
recommended.
If you need a specific medicine, bring the medicine in its
container/bottle, if possible with the doctor's prescription.
Indonesian custom inspectors may ask about the medicine. If you
need additional medicine in Indonesia, bring the container to a
pharmacy (apotek) and if possible mention the active
ingredients of the medicine. Drugs are usually manufactured locally
under different brand names, but contain the same ingredients. Be
careful about the proper dosage of the medicine.
For routine traveller complaints, one can often find medical
doctors (dokter) in towns. These small clinics are usually
walk-in, although you may face a long wait. Most clinics open in
the afternoon (from 4 PM). The emergency room (ER) in hospitals
always open (24 hour). There are clinics (poliklinik) in
most hospitals (8 AM-4 PM). Advance payment is expected for
treatment.
Be warned, though, that the doctors/nurses may not speak English
well enough to make an appropriate diagnosis -- be patient and take
a good phrasebook or a translator with you. Ask about the name and
dosage of the prescription medicine, as few doctors may
oversubscribe to inflate their own cut, with antibiotics handed out
like candy.
Indonesia has a low HIV/AIDS prevalence rate.
However, most infections are among sex workers and
injecting drug users. Always protect yourself
before engaging in risky activities.
Respect
.^ But thousands of local people have been evacuated to the Indonesian part of the island and many buildings have been attacked.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ In 1977, the Indonesian army killed 900 people in reprisals after local protesters sabotaged a Freeport pipeline" .- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ JAKARTA Indonesia's long-stalled cable industry is getting a massive boost from Kabelvision, which is controlled by one of the country's richest congloms, the Lippo Group.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
If you should get into a dispute with a vendor, government
official etc, forget trying to argue or 'win'. Better results will
be gained by remaining polite and humble at all times, never
raising your voice, and smiling, asking the person to help you find
a solution to the problem. Rarely, if ever, is it appropriate to
try to blame, or accuse.
When meeting someone, be it for the first time ever or just the
first time that day, it is common to shake hands — but in Indonesia
this is no knuckle-crusher, just a light touching of the
palms, often followed by bringing your hand to your chest.
Meetings often start and end with everybody shaking hands with
everybody! However, don't try to shake hands with a Muslim woman
unless she offers her hand first. It is respectful to bend slightly
(not a complete bow) when greeting someone older or in a position
of authority.
Never use your left hand for anything! It is considered
very rude. This is especially true when you are shaking hands or
handing something to someone. It can be hard to get used to,
especially if you are left handed. However, sometimes special
greetings are given with both hands.
Polite forms of address for people you don't know are
Bapak ("father") for men and Ibu ("mother") for
women. If you know the name of the person you're talking to, you
can address them respectfully as Pak Name (for men) or
Bu Name (for women). The Javanese terms mas
("older brother") and mbak ("older sister") are also
heard, but best reserved for equals, not superiors.
Remove your shoes or sandals outside before entering a house,
unless the owner explicitly allows you to keep them on. Even then,
it might be more polite to remove your shoes. Do not put your feet
up while sitting and try not to show the bottom of your feet to
someone, it is considered rude. Don't walk in front of people,
instead walk behind them.
Do not stand or sit with your arms crossed or on your hips. This
is a sign of anger or hostility. If a guest, it is not polite to
finish any drink all the way to the bottom of the glass. This
indicates that you would like more. Instead, leave about a half of
an inch/2cm in the bottom of your glass and someone will most
likely ask you if you would like more.
.^ "There's a price of fifty million rupiah (about $A.10,000) on the heads of all my ministers and there's a much higher price on my head".- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ ""At least around US$25 billion, but how much further is the limit I don't know,'' he said in Cairo, where he is attending a G-15 summit.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Dress
By and large, Indonesia is a conservative country and modest
dress is advisable. On the beaches of Bali and Lombok, the locals
are used to foreigners gamboling about in bikinis, but elsewhere
women are advised to keep legs and necklines covered and to match
the locals when bathing. (Covering your hair is unnecessary,
although doing so may be appreciated in
Aceh.) Wearing shorts, miniskirts etc is unlikely
to cause actual offense, but clothing like this is associated with
sex workers. Men, too, can gain respect by wearing collared,
long-sleeve shirts and trousers if dealing with bureaucracy.
Contact
Keeping in touch with the outside world from Indonesia is rarely
a problem, at least if you stay anywhere close to the beaten
track.
Telephone calls
As getting a fixed line remains an unaffordable luxury for many
Indonesians, wartel (short for warung
telekomunikasi) can be found on most every street in
Indonesia.
If you have Global System Mobile (GSM) cellular phone, ask your
local provider about "roaming agreement/facility" with local GSM
operators in Indonesia (ie: PT Indosat, PT Telkomsel, PT Excelindo
etc).
- Making local calls
- Dial (telephone number)
- Making long distance calls
- Dial 0-(area code)-(telephone number)
- Making international calls
- Dial 017-(country
code)-(area code, if any)-(telephone
number)
- Beside "017" prefix, you can use "001", "007" or "008". For
example
- 001-(country
code)-(area code, if any)-(telephone
number)
- You can make International calls through operator
- dial 101 or 102.
- Making long distance collect calls
- Dial 0871-(area code)
- Connecting to the Internet
- Dial 080989999 (from your modem), costing you Rp. 165/minute in
business days and Rp. 100/minute in Saturdays and Sundays
- TELKOM Calling Card access number
- Dial 168
Mobile phones
.^ Roll Call 9/20/99 Morton Kondracke "...Australian-led troops are on the way to East Timor, but the place already has been ravaged by pro-Indonesian militias.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Embattled former Indonesian president Suharto, under investigation for graft, may hand over US$25 billion (S$43 billion) to the government, President Abdurrahman Wahid has said.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ Recently over 500,000 Muslims gathered in the capitol to call for a "jihad" against Christian Indonesians.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
.^ BBC News 6/7/99 "....The people of Indonesia have begun voting in a general election which will lead to the creation of the world's third-largest democracy.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
If you have Global System Mobile (GSM) cellular phone, ask your
local GSM operator about "roaming agreement/facility" in Indonesia.
Most GSM operators in Indonesia have roaming agreement with various
GSM operators worldwide. Using roaming facility, you can use your
own cellular phone and GSM SIM card in Indonesia.
Most Indonesian operators use GSM, but beware of the few
offering CDMA phones: they are slightly cheaper, but generally
not usable outside major cities. Be sure to double-check
when buying!
Internet
The modern-day version of the wartel is the
warnet, which feature Internet-connected PCs as
well, and many shops now do double duty. Prices vary considerably,
and as usual you tend to get what you pay for, but you'll usually
be looking at around Rp 5,000 per hour. In large cities, there are
free hotspots in certain shopping malls, McDonald restaurants and
StarBucks cafes. Some hotels provide free hotspots in the
lobby.
.^ Last time I looked he had been arrested in Las Vegas after running up, and I kid you not, some $25 million plus in gaming debts at casinos there.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
^ The Hongkong-based telecommunications giant is also said to be helping the group develop its wireless calling card facility.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
The charge is only Rp 110 per minute or Rp 6600
per hour. Mentari or IM3 starter-kit is Rp 10,000 with vouchers Rp
25,000, Rp 50,000 or Rp 100,000.
Telephone directories and information
services
Other information
services
- Current time
- Dial 103
- Information about TELKOM services
- Dial 162
- Phone directory
- Dial 108
- Phone directory in other cities
- Dial (Code Area) 108
- Hello Yellow Phone Directory
- Dial (62)(21) 7917 8108
- Online Yellow Pages
- Indonesian YellowPages [33]
- Code area of large cities in Indonesia
Balikpapan (0542), Banda Aceh (0651), Bandung (022), Batam
(0778), Denpasar (0361), Jakarta (021),Jogyakarta (0274), Kupang
(0380), Makassar (0411), Manado (0431), Medan (061), Palembang
(0711), Pekanbaru (0761), Semarang (024), Solo (0271), Surabaya
(031)
- Ministry of Tourism and Culture. Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat No.17,
9th floor, Jakarta 10110, Tel.: (62)(21) 383 8303.
- Indonesia Tourism Promotion Board (BPPI), Wisma Nugraha Santana
9th flr. Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 8, Jakarta 12930. Tel.: (62)(21)
570 4879. Fax.: (62)(21) 570 4855.
Emergency
Here is a list of emergency numbers in Indonesia (please note
that while these numbers are accessible for free from all
non-mobile telephones, they may not be accessible from mobile
phones [for mobile phones, you'd better use international mobile
phones emergency number, 112]) :
- Police : 110
- Fire department : 113
- Ambulance : 118
- Search and rescue team: 115.
- Indonesian Police HQ. Jl. Trunojoyo 3, South Jakarta. Tel.:
(62)(21) 7218144.
- National Search and Rescue agency (BASARNAS): Jl. Medan Merdeka
Timur No.5, Jakarta 10110. Tel.: (62)(21) 348-32881, (62)(21)
348-32908, (62)(21) 348-32869, Fax.: (62)(21) 348-32884, (62)(21)
348-32885. Website: Basarnas [34].
Cope
Embassies, high commissions and
consulates
The
Departemen Luar Negeri (Deplu) or Ministry of
Foreign Affairs
[35]
maintains a complete searchable database of diplomatic
institutions.
.^ Antara reported that the U.S. warship's arrival was coinciding with the visit of U.S. Consul General Robert Polar to Ambon, capital of Maluku, to seek data on conflicts in the city.- CLINTON'S ROGUES GALLERY: 28 January 2010 0:00 UTC alamo-girl.com [Source type: News]
Malaysia in
Pekanbaru, Philippines in
Manado and so on).
This is a usable article. It has
information for getting in as well as some complete entries for
restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this
article, but please plunge forward and help it grow! |