Serial Killers Marrying Drug Dealers....

I am not sure that this is an only in Indonesia scenario, but this particular story is out of Indonesia. Yet, no matter, as the very idea is worthy of a blog post.

It appears that Verry Idham Henyahsyah, aka Ryan, who came to fame as a gay serial killer sentenced to death for the murder of 11 people, is not set to get married to a woman. It is all a little weird but, then again, not so weird. It is not unheard of gay men to marry women for myriad of different reasons. I think this is a little weird because Ryan was sentenced to death for his crimes and is awaiting execution in Kesambi Prison in Cirebon.

The weirdness for me is a personal one. I have never really understood why women meet, fall in love and ultimately want to (or do) marry men on death row. I guess I just need to read a little more widely, I am sure the literature is out there somewhere.

Ryan argues that marrying the recently released drug dealer, Eny Wijaya, fits his personal philosophy that marriages is the process of regenerating life. Maybe I need to read more widely on the nature and nurture debate as it relates to serial killers; are they born or bred?

The other reason Ryan feels it necessary for him as an openly gay man to marry a woman is that it would makes his mother happy. It seems Ryan's mum really wants him to get married.

Normally, people would want to wish you a long, happy, and fruitful marriage together, but I wonder what is the "right" thing to say to a fellow that is sitting on death row with respect to marriage? Let's face it, he might not know the exact date of his death, but Ryan does know that the final walk to the firing squad is going to happen, and it is going to happen sooner rather than later.

Ho hum...

Last Meals

I am sitting here dining on a bowl of Frosties and skim milk. It would seem the excessive amounts of sugar in the Frosties would nullify any benefits one might derive from consuming skim milk, but that is another post for another day.

For reasons unbeknown to me, this got me thinking about last meals. Simply, if you knew you would be dead at a certain time and you only had the chance for one last meal, and that meal could be anything that your heart desired, then what would it be.

This thinking got me to doing a simple Google search and you can follow these links here, here, and here if you need some inspiration to see what some have eaten for their last meal.

The Entrepreneurial Indonesian Spirit

One must tip their hat to the never say die Indonesian entrepreneurial spirit. The recent serial killings that have been uncovered in Jombang, East Java, have unleashed plenty of activity in the area. The increased number of journalists and spectators of the macabre have descended on the place. This has meant that a small service industry has sprung up to serve the needs of those in town.

The services have seen some enter into the merchandise trade. These entrepreneurs are selling pictures of the suspect, Verry Idam Henyansyah (aka Ryan) (pictured), for IDR 4,000 a piece. The happy snaps of the alleged serial killer are selling like hot cakes and most trades seem to have been able to sell a few hundred of them. Funnily enough, the picture is one that has been downloaded from the Internet.

The other big entrepreneurial gig is in food and drinks. A large crowd needs to be fed and watered. True to the Indonesian spirit of entrepreneurship these traders have arrived in force. This is something that I do not recall from other places that I have visited in the world. I am not sure that it is unique to Indonesia, perhaps I just have not been to the "right" places on my other travels.

Nevertheless, whenever there is an incident there will be enterprising Indonesians on the scene within minutes selling food and drinks. I recall an accident scene a few years ago where a car had overturned and caught on fire. No one was trapped inside but the burning car and possible explosion meant that a crowd gathered at a safe distance, me include. Within minutes there were people selling bottles of tea, peanuts, fried snacks, the whole works as a matter of fact.

Some people might be amazed or surprised to read about the traders that have emerged around the scene of a horrific series of crimes such as these must have been. For me it is just another example of the Indonesian ability to make a Rupiah no matter what the circumstances.

Long live the entrepreneurial spirit!