3D Porn Film at IMAX?

Well, ain't technology grand, a 3D porn film at IMAX, sort of. The film, Sex and Zen 3D: Extreme Ecstasy, has made its long awaited opening in Hong Kong. The tickets for the film are selling fast and there are plenty of theatres that have sold out all of their screen times. In all, some 70% of tickets have been pre-sold. The film is a sequel of sorts to an earlier film, Sex and Zen, which was first screened in 1991 and is still the highest grossing adult film in Hong Kong's history.

The film has a Category III rating for Hong Kong which means that no one under 18 years of age can get in and watch it. However, a Category III rating is not the same as an X rating.

The film is being screened in regular theatres is Hong Kong, but is destined for an IMAX theatre once it hits the shores of Taiwan.

Interestingly, Hong Kong seems to have adopted the Indonesian approach of using famous foreign porn stars to take the lead in a locally produced film. Sex and Zen 3D stars Japanese porn stars Yukiko Suo and Saori Hari. But, it seems a little strange to be following the Indonesian lead as Hong Kong has an "ample" supply of home-grown Hong Kong talent to choose from.

The film itself is based on classic Chinese erotic texts, particularly The Carnal Prayer Mat. According to the executive producer, Stephen Shiu Jr, of the film it is a little more erotic than 9 1/2 Weeks but not nearly as erotic as Tinto Brass' Caligula. Yet, the producers were proactive in preempting any  problems the Singaporean censors might have had with the film by self-editing some 18 minutes out of the version currently screening in Hong Kong.

However, it is likely that the die-hards in Singapore will be able to get a hold of a director's cut of the film which will include all the scenes cut out for public release. So, what are the Singaporeans missing out on? Apparently they will not be seeing scenes including group and oral sex, sadomasochism and anything that links sex and religion.

3D porn films appear to be a growing niche market with Tinto Brass looking at re-doing his classic film, Caligula, in 3D. Not to be outdone, Hustler has also indicated that they are looking at doing a 3D spoof of James Cameron's Avatar as a porn film.

I wonder whether the film will get a screening in Indonesia, or will it just be a pirated DVD version that does a brisk trade on the footpaths with the street-side vendors? There is one thing that I can be sure of, there is no chance of me being able to watch this where I live as there is no theatre in the town in which I live.

"Poor" SBY...

The President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono or "SBY" to those in the know, has gone on the record (Kompas) intimating to high-ranking police and military officers that he understands their suffering on the salary front because he has not had a salary rise in more than seven years.

However, this is the kicker, what the president did not say is that his salary is already twenty-eight times the GDP per Indonesian. 

One of the fundamental questions with respect to eradicating corruption in Indonesia is whether or not a significant rise in the level of salaries of police and other officials of state will reduce the reliance on illegal fees to supplement those meager salaries, and thereby reduce corruption. It was within this framework that the president was promising to reinvigorate the government's commitment to improving the prosperity of members of the Armed Forces and Police.

Now, most people would not begrudge a salary increase to those who have earned one. Simply, where performance justifies a salary increase then it is fair that an increase occur. Yet, in situations where performance is poor or promises have been broken, then it is not only hard to justify a pay rise but it is the height of arrogance to be suddenly crying poor, particularly when it would seem that one's workload is not so extreme that there is no time to put out an album of favourite songs to entertain the masses rather than feed them.

A survey by The Economist highlighted that SBY was enjoying a salary that ranked him third highest from twenty two countries surveyed. So, what is this in dollar terms? The president enjoys a salary of more than USD 124,000 per year. Interestingly the two leaders in front of him were Kenya (240 times GDP) and Singapore (42 times GDP). It is worth noting that this is the basic salary of the president, according to The Economist. Therefore, it does not include all the fringe benefits that the Head of State enjoys.

The sad truth of the matter is, Mr President, that you have not earned a pay rise. Even more telling in your attempt at empathy is that you really have lost touch with what it is like to be poor in Indonesia and living on or below the poverty line in a nation with vast national wealth and huge potential for growth but with a leadership that has no commitment to anything other than preserving itself. Mr President, perhaps it is time to worry about doing your job, the one you were elected to do and the one that has nothing to do with singing, rather than how long it has been since you have had a pay rise!

Ho hum...

Singaporean Water Polo Team's Sense of Humour?

The Asian Games have been good for the odd odd story, like the Yemeni beach volleyball team claiming they lost their match because the bikini-clad entertainment was too distracting for them. However, the Singaporean Water Polo team might just have taken the cake with their self-designed swim wear.

The swim wear as you can see is a departure from the traditional black swim trunks they used to wear. The new costume is a red get up with the Singaporean flag prominently placed on the front. Now, in conservative Singapore the self-designed outfit was sure to raise eyebrows. This is especially the case when the position of the crescent moon gives the impression of a raging erection. They don't call this type of swim wear budgie smugglers for no reason. Although, when I was a kid they were called dick-stickers.

Anyways, this 'story' gets interesting because in the thriving democratic police state, also known as Singapore, before the flag or any other national emblem or symbol is used on any costume the users have to get the permission of the Minister for Information, Communication and the Arts.

If permission is not obtained prior to use and the use is then deemed to be 'disrespectful' then the users are liable to fines of up to SGD 1000 for their indiscretions.

I will let you be the judge as to whether the use of the Singaporean flag in this way is disrespectful.

Mi Goreng: Is It Safe?

Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) are currently doing some independent testing of Mi Goreng (Fried Noodles). After the recall of the IndoMie products in Taiwan last month, it seems that there are some concerns about the use of Methyl P-Hydroxybenzoate (E218) and Benzoic acid as food preservatives. These two chemicals are also used in the manufacture of cosmetics. So, not only will you be full after having a serve of Indomie, there is also a good chance that your stomach lining will look pretty as well.

To be sure, Australia and New Zealand do not allow the use of E218 in any food products for sale in either country. Aside, form Taiwan who yanked the product from shelves, Singapore is also investigating whether the nasty little chemicals are present in the instant noodles inhabiting the shelves of Singaporean grocery stores.

The main sellers of Indomie in Australia are Woolworths, Coles, and IGA. In addition to the big three, independent Asian grocers tend to stock up on instant noodles. Come to think of it, the last place we brought instant noodles of the Indomie kind was from a little Asian grocer in Kingsford, the White Lotus.

Indomie is produced by PT. Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk. Indofood just happens to be the largest noodle producer in the world. So, concerns about one of their staple products must be cause for concern, particularly with respect to the bottom line.

Nevertheless, the Indonesian Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) was quick to come out and state unequivocally that Indomie is safe for consumption and that Indonesians have nothing to worry about.

I used to eat a lot of Indomie when I was resident in Indonesia. Since I have been back in Australia, I have not eaten Indomie often. This has happened for no other reason than a cup-a-soup is easier to prepare.

Now, according to FSANZ, it is unlikely that these chemicals are to be found in concentrations that are harmful. To be honest, if they really believed that, then why do the testing. Simply, there are concerns that these chemicals exist in this product in volumes that are unhealthy.

A bigger question is why E218 is permitted in Indonesia as a food preservative but banned in Australia and New Zealand. Surely, if it is dangerous to Australians and New Zealanders then it must also pose the same sort of health risks to Indonesians, right?

Hmmm, come to think of it, Indomie is on the shopping list for today. Perhaps a little re-evaluation is required before whacking them in the shopping trolley.

Corruption Perceptions Index...

The 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International has been released recently. I was reading about this on a blog, "the two-way", hosted over at the National Public Radio (NPR) site and came across the following excerpt:

Corruption is something that just becomes ingrained in a society and once it's there it's hard to stop. It becomes a habit of mind, a sense that this is simply how things done. An official pamphlet given to Iraqi refugees who are heading to the States advises them not to bribe police officers. After working in Iraq for years I came home from one trip and had to go to the DMV. I'm waiting in line, as one does, and all I can think is, "Who can I bribe to make this go away?" To address corruption you have to change a society's whole way of thinking about what the cultural norms are, which is not easy, to say the least.

There are no real surprises in the list in the sense that Somalia, Burma, Afghanistan and Iraq rank as the most corrupt countries on earth. There are also no real surprises in Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore being the least corruptible nations going around.

Indonesia has stayed pretty much steady. The fact that Indonesia has remained steady is not a real positive outcome for Indonesia or Indonesians. It is, though, and accurate indictment of the failures of SBY and his government in delivering on the core election promise that he made in 2004 and 2009 to clamp down on corruption. However, that is for another post.

What struck me about the NPR piece is the idea that to address corruption requires a fundamental shift in the way the community thinks. The cultural norms that have developed that allow corruption to persist have to be broken down and new norms established. This idea is just so true for Indonesia. Yet, it is also the reason corruption eradication efforts have been so unsuccessful. Entrenched interests have been very successful at thwarting most efforts for reform and change while simultaneously encouraging others to be change-resistant as well. Corruption is something that is ingrained, no doubt about that.

I am the eternal optimist. Change will come to Indonesia. It is only a matter of time. Corruptors need to known that they are on borrowed time, the game is up!

Bakwan Jagung in The New York Times...

Bakwan Jagung or Corn Fritters are one of my all time favourite Indonesian snacks. They are versatile and can go by themselves as a "between meals snack" or they can form part of a main meal. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see a write up of Indonesian style corn fritters in The New York Times. It was also good to see a recipe attached to the article, and some quotes from an Indonesian Executive Chef, Djoko Supatmono, at the Satay Junction in Manhattan, New York.

I still eat bakwan jagung here in Australia. My wife is an excellent cook, and it helps that bakwan jagung is one of her favourites as well. My preferred accompaniments are sweet soy sauce with chopped chillies as a dipping sauce or sambal mentah (raw sambal - ground up chillies, garlic, pepper), or sambal Bali (I am not a connoisseur on that front, but my mother-in-law had the sambal Bali down pat). We are spoilt for fresh corn in this part of the world, and fresh corn is always the best way to go when making bakwan jagung.

It should not be too long before the Malaysians start trying to claim that they are the inventors of the Bakwan Jagung and that Indonesia stole it from them. Malaysia seems to want to claim all manner of Indonesian things from textiles to music, so food would seemingly not be such a big stretch. If Malaysia does not step forward to make a claim, then Singapore probably will.

Kuta Cowboys -- Gigolos, Prostitutes, or Self-Employed Entrepreneurs?

A recent documentary exploring the life and times of Bali's Kuta Cowboys has caused an uproar. An uproar that sees Indonesian police trying to build a criminal case against the film's director, Singaporean, Amit Virmani. The life and times of Kuta Cowboys is not something new nor is it something that is not widely known about. Most Balinese, most Indonesians, and most visitors to Bali are aware of the Kuta Cowboys irrespective of whether they have ever been in need of the special services that these young men provide.

A Kuta Cowboy might be described as a tour guide ++. Generally, the services provided depend on the demands of the respective client; it may be a full-service gig (no allusion to gigolo intended), then again it might be as simple as providing company during a holiday. Are the Kuta Cowboys male prostitutes? No. The service provided is so much more than a pure sexual one. The service might include sex, but the sex is not a core service nor is it the primary service. So, it is pretty hard to sustain an argument that Kuta Cowboys are male prostitutes.

Are they gigolos? Perhaps, but in my mind, No. A gigolo, strictly speaking, is a man supported by a woman in return for attention. This attention is primarily based on sexual encounters. So, once again, it is hard to sustain and maintain an argument that Kuta Cowboys are gigolos as the services provided are much more varied and are not premised solely on sex.

It is more likely that the best way to look at Kuta Cowboys is looking at them as self-employed entrepreneurs. They are generally young men who provide myriad of services that may or may not include sex. These men are then compensated for their time and service.

However, that said, the reality is also one where I have not heard of a Kuta Cowboy that has not provided sexual services as part of the full-service experience. Yet, I have not been actively researching the topic with a view to writing some sort of thesis on the subject.

The police have gone to some lengths to state that they are not pursuing the Kuta Cowboys as criminals, although perhaps they should if there is a belief that they are prostitutes as prostitution is illegal in Indonesia, but rather the police are arresting them as a means of being able to interview them and build a case against Virmani. The police are acting under the provisions of the 1992 Film Law, apparently. The police interpretation is that Virmani has shot a film in Indonesia without first obtaining the correct permits. For this breach of the law he could conceivably be sent to prison for one year and / or fined up to IDR 40 million.

This got me thinking. Would one need a film permit to bring a hand-held video camera into Indonesia and take holiday video footage? What about if this holiday footage is then cobbled together and put on YouTube? Or, heaven forbid, it was cobbled together at some later date and made into a short film and shown at a film festival? Are Indonesians and foreigners going to need to get a film permit to carry mobile phones with cameras? Let's face it, there is a lot of footage on the internet at places like YouTube, LiveLeak, and others that has been shot using the video function of a mobile phone. This video is clearly video that can be cobbled together into a more substantial piece of creative work and published.

It would seem that Indonesia's film law, and the people who drafted it, has not considered the available technology and the widespread use of social networking opportunities quite deeply enough.

Oh well...

Singapore Casinos & Indonesian Gamblers...

It appears a good bet that some of the biggest and most consistent visitors to the new casinos opening in Singapore are going to be Indonesians. The Resorts World Sentosa is the first of two casinos to open its doors in Singapore. The casino is expected to be open today in order to capitalize on the celebrations surrounding the Chinese New Year. So, today is likely to be an interesting day for many punters as it might be a view into what sort of luck, or lack thereof, they are going to enjoy in the Year of the Tiger.

The second casino is the Marina Bay Sands which is affiliates with the Sands casinos out of Las Vegas. The Sands is not expected to open until April 2010, which means the Sentosa is certainly going to enjoy a bit of a head start.

It would be fair to say that it is not only going to be Indonesians of Chinese ancestry that may partake in a hand or two of Blackjack and Baccarat or a couple of rounds at the Roulette table, there is an expectation that Indonesians of all faiths and types of ancestry will take the plunge and part with some of their fortune in search of new fortunes. This is expected to include those of the Muslim faith.

Singapore is a prime destination for many Indonesians. It is close, and it remains a shopping mecca (this is in spite of the numerous malls and branded stores already in Jakarta) for the well-to-do Indonesians looking to spend a weekend away. The casinos provide a little something extra, for those who have shopped themselves out during the day, to do in the evening. Nothing like glamming it up and hitting the casinos and spending up big.

However, it might be worth mentioning that there are thousands (perhaps tens of thousands?) of Indonesian maids working in Singapore. A wander down Orchard Road on a Sunday afternoon is like taking a walk on a busy Indonesian street on any day of the week in that one hears a steady stream of Indonesian and local dialects such as Sundanese, Javanese, and some Batak thrown into the mix. The point being, will any of these maids be tempted to win their fortune by gambling their meager incomes on the flip of a card or the spin of a wheel?

The temptation of winning the "big one" is quite often too much temptation for some to bear. So, is it a fair question to ponder, has the Singaporean government put into place mechanisms to deal with not only the increased revenue they are expecting the casinos to generate, but also mechanisms to deal with the social problems that are going to arise as they relate to problem gambling?

Perhaps Draconian police measures are not going to be enough to keep crime rates down. Any increase in crime is going to make Singapore a less attractive place to visit. The reality is (or at least was) that I enjoyed going to Singapore for no other reason than it was sometimes nice to get a little respite from the chaos and pollution of Jakarta, and it was always nice to be able to walk down the road, in this case Orchard Road, late in the evening and feel safe as houses.

But, the 'interesting' point of the expected influx of Indonesians to the gambling tables of Singapore is that many of these gamblers are likely to be Muslims. Gambling is expressly forbidden in Islam. So, to engage in it would be somewhat sinful, particularly if one was doing it with the full knowledge that it was sinful. This has been the primary deterrent in legislating for a casino to be built in the Thousand Islands area off the coast of Jakarta; the sinfulness of gambling.

It is too bad that money from gambling is haram because the increased revenue that would most likely be generated from a casino in Jakarta could be used to offset the social problems that allowing gambling would create, but also direct some much needed funding to education and health programs to ensure that "all" Indonesians had access to some basic facilities (naive, maybe; but what has been put into place to date is not working, and has not worked, so what is there to lose?).

The combined intellect of the Majelis Ulama Indonesia (Indonesian Ulema Council / MUI) has stated that to gamble is to sin. Gambling is expressly forbidden in Islam (and in Indonesian law) so any Indonesian Muslim would be in a spot of bother in Indonesia. However, Amidhan of the MUI, has offered up that the MUI is only concerned with Indonesian Muslims gambling in Indonesia because what Indonesian Muslims do while they are abroad is beyond the MUI's control. I guess this means that any Indonesian Muslim that gambles abroad answers directly to Allah and no longer to the MUI?

The casinos are not just casinos, but rather full-service fun, entertainment, and business venues that can cater to a broad range of interests and needs. The idea seemingly being that "you" can hold a business conference there, and there just happens to be a casino close by for punters to partake in their hobbies during the non-business related sessions of their trip. The Sentosa includes a theme park which makes it a family-oriented weekend away (or as the cynics have suggested - somewhere to dump the kids while mum and dad go and spend the kids' inheritance).

Singapore hopes that the imminent opening of the casinos will be a shot in the arm for recently dwindling tourist arrivals in the city state. Time will tell!

The Big One -- Just Around the Corner?

News that the scientists (from the Bandung Institute of Technology and Singapore's Earth Observatory) have now done their analyzing and have determined that the recent earthquakes in West Sumatra, Indonesia, were not the "big one" that many of them are predicting to occur. Estimates of when the fateful day range over the next ten years. It would seem that predicting big earthquakes is not always an exact science. However, like anything else practice makes perfect, so presumably with more data, the guesstimates can become more accurate.

The scientists are predicting that the big one is likely to be off a magnitude of 8.8+ on the Richter Scale. Nevertheless, this depends on whether the earth sees fit to release all this energy that continues to build up over time in one big burst or a couple of smaller bursts of energy. The scientists, it seems, are leaning towards a big one. The reason being that the most recent earthquakes have not released enough of the pressure forcing the Indo-Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates together.

Now, an earthquake of a magnitude of 8.8+ is likely to unleash a wave of destruction in the form of a tsunami. The earthquake and subsequent tsunami that devastated Aceh and other places in the region in 2004 was of a magnitude 9.1. With the predicted earthquake's centre expected to be just off the coast of West Sumatra, and somewhere between Padang and Bengkulu, then the damage and death counts are likely to be high.

My wife and I have family in that part of Sumatra, and it is always a worry when we hear of earthquakes in the region. So, to think that the big one might be just around the corner is not good news.

(Graphic courtesy of here)

Hambali and the Bali Bombings

Riduan Isamuddin (AKA Hambali) was arrested in Thailand in 2003, and after having been the alleged recipient of some free travel around the world to a number of ghost prisons, ended up in Guantanamo Bay as a guest of the US. This is presumably for the duration of the war on terror. However, since Barack Obama has taken office, it has become a little uncertain as to what lies ahead for some of these detainees.

In any event, there is little doubt that Hambali gave up a fair bit of intelligence under the enhanced interrogation techniques used on him, like waterboarding. Nevertheless, even with the favourable rules of evidence that the military tribunals were going to be working under, the US has some doubts that it could currently make a case against Hambali for the Bali Bombings. Hambali was the head of a Jemaah Islamiyya cell that had operational responsibilities for Malaysia and Singapore. This cell was known as Mantiqi One.

The problem is apparently not a lack of evidence, but rather a lack of evidence that prosecutors would be able to adduce and then use in court to prove Hambali's guilt. Nevertheless, it is generally thought that Hambali ordered the targeting of "soft targets" and was the main man when it came to funding the bombings.

Yet, the US authorities are a lot more confident that they can link him to a string of other bombings in Indonesia. It has only been this year that the Indonesian authorities have been granted access to Hambali for interrogation purposes. This is interesting in itself as the majority of Hambali's alleged crimes have occurred in Indonesia and have predominantly killed Indonesians. The two series of bombings that the authorities believe present as the strongest cases against Hambali are the Marriott bombing of 2003 and the Christmas Eve bombings.

If the military tribunals are reconvened, and the rules are not drastically changed, then it would seem that military prosecutors would seek to see Hambali charged with murder and then pursue the death penalty for him.

Malaysia, Caning, and Beer -- Part IV

It would seem that being sentenced to a good ol' caning, wanting to get caned, and actually being caned are very different things.

It is interesting that the Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Razak, has entered the fray on this one. He has suggested that the Singaporean and Muslim model, Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, not be quite as willing to accept her fate. According to Razak, although he does not want to interfere with the imposition of the sentence or the role of the Sharia Courts, he believes that not all avenues of appeal are yet closed.

The PM is of the opinion that the authorities are "sensitive" to her plight and the implications of the sentence. and therefore she should appeal. I guess there are a number of ways that can be interpreted, and the cynics among us might lean towards the PM interfering in the judicial / justice process. Then again, maybe the cynics would not see it this way.

Shukarno was granted a reprieve as the Sharia Courts and the authorities decided that the holy month of Ramadan was not the opportune time to be caning a young mother of two for drinking beer. Hey, seeing it is Ramadan and a month of forgiveness, how about just vacating the sentence and replace it with a warning that in essence is a slap on the wrist and some choice words about re-offending.

However, I am of the opinion that she wants to get caned. Whether she wants to get caned because it is publicity and any publicity is good publicity, I am not going to speculate. But, she is calling a good bluff on any front by challenging the authorities to get the deed done.

Most people would have appealed the sentence as a matter of course, Shukarno has not. Instead, she has argued that if it is to be done and the authorities are really doing it as a means of educating other Muslims of the ills of alcohol and drinking, then the caning must be done in public. This makes sense to me.

The waiting game continues.

Malaysia, Caning, and Beer -- Part III

Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno is set to be contained according to her sentence sometime next week. The sentence was six lashes of the cane and a fine of 5000 ringgit. Her crime, being a Muslim and drinking beer in a nightclub in the eastern state of Pahang. I wrote about it here.

Shukarno has asked for the sentence to be carried out as soon as possible. Her request is based on two simple reasons; the sooner the sentence is carried out, the sooner she can get on with the rest of her life, and secondly, she wants others to learn from her mistakes so that they might avoid a similar caning in the future. Her regret is apparently the driving force for the desire for a public caning.

Although, there seems to be a bit of a caveat on the caning in that Shukarno wants it carried out in public rather than in the confines of a closed prison. This would certainly seem the most likely way of ensuring maximum exposure (pun intended). It is worth noting that Shukarno will be the first woman to be caned under Islamic Law. There must be a sellable story in that somewhere, particularly when one considers she lives in Singapore and not Malaysia.

It must also be noted that caning is not unusual as a form of punishment in Malaysia. There are at least forty crimes that attract a good caning. The criminal punishment statistics compiled by Amnesty International state that almost 35,000 people have been caned in Malaysia between 2002 and 2008. The majority of these canings were for immigration offenses. Simply, a few strokes on the buttocks and on your way back to wherever it is that you came from.

Amnesty International has been vocal in its opposition to caning. According to Amnesty International, caning is a cruel and degrading punishment, and as such must not be used as a form of punishment. Besides, cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishments are expressly prohibited under international law. AI has, in fact, asked the Malaysian government to vacate this sentence and to pass legislation that would prohibit the use of caning under any circumstances in Malaysia.

However, Malaysia in its defense of the soon-to-occur caning is that the cane (rattan / rotan) is smaller than the one used for men, the swing is shorter, and the purpose is to educate rather than punish, therefore Shukarno is not likely to endure too much pain when it is all said and done.

The problem, or perhaps issue, for me is that the idea of concurrent courts, General and Islamic, means that there is a two-tiered justice system where punishments depend on your religious beliefs, and therefore will differ from others who commit a similar offense or in this case where they commit no offense at all. It is not illegal for non-Muslims to drink alcohol in Malaysia.

Maybe there will be a video so that we can all get a public viewing of the manner of a Malaysian caning.

Malaysia, Caning, and Beer...

Drinking beer and being a Muslim in Malaysia do not mix. However, when they do, you might just find yourself in a situation where you are before a Religious Court and destined for a few strokes of the cane.

The Religious Court in the Eastern State of Pahang has sentenced a Singaporean model of Muslim faith to six strokes of the cane for drinking beer in a nightclub, and getting caught doing it.

I remember getting six strokes of the cane in high school back in the day when a little bit of corporal punishment was thought to be good for naughty boys to ensure that they grew up into responsible adults. However, my understanding is that Malaysia is similar to Singapore in that you get the rotan cane across the buttocks. I dare say that it probably hurts a little more downstairs than on the hands.

The model, Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, pleaded guilty. Generally, early guilty pleas attract a little bit of leniency. However, this was not to be. The court held that a good old-fashioned caning was in order, if for no other reason than the law allows for such a sentence to be imposed. But, furthermore, the court believed that this case would serve as a good example not only to Shukarno, but also to other Muslims thinking about having a beer or two. Shukarno also was fined 5000 Ringgit.

Shukarno is intending to appeal. Yet, there does not seem to be good prospects for success in light of the court's reasoning. I suppose her lawyers might want to be arguing that the sentence is manifestly excessive for the nature and seriousness of the crime.

The problem as I see it is that there is a two-tier justice system in Malaysia; regular courts and religious courts. The religious courts only hear matters relating to alleged crimes committed by Muslims. Religious courts are designed to hear matters relating to religious-based offenses of which drinking alcohol is one. This makes the system two-tiered because Malaysia's other religious minorities are free to drink alcohol as they please and are not going to be subject to a caning for imbibing.

I wonder is this fair and just, or is it just a simple case of; this is the way it is, get over it, and deal with it.

The establishment of, or the expanding of the jurisdiction, of religious courts is something that Indonesia faces periodically. The religious courts in Indonesia, until recently, had a very restrictive jurisdiction relating to family issues. This has expanded to include some financial matters where the financial issues relate specifically to Syariah-based issues. There are some who would see the jurisdiction of the religious courts in Indonesia expanded even further to include the ability to hear matters relating to all things to do with the Muslim faith.

Manohara Odelia Pinot

This is a case that has been in the news for some time. You can read an account from go to whoa here (you will have to do a search to get all the relevant pieces to the puzzle). It is a fascinating tale and somewhat tragic as well if all that is being reported is true. I have been following the news but have never gotten around to writing about it. However, the recent "escape" by Manohara (photo courtesy of AFP) from her captors makes this far more interesting as there are myriad of possibilities opening up on the Indonesian / Malaysian bilateral relationship front.

The basic gist of the story is that Manohara, who is part Indonesian and part American, a part-time model, and reportedly a regular on the Jakartan and Indonesian social scene, was married off at just 16 years of age to a Malaysian prince. Sounds like a bit of a fairy tale so far. However, the prince, Tengku Temenggong Mohammad Fakhry or Kelantan State, was not so much prince charming but rather prince nightmare in Kelantan State.

Manohara has claimed that she has been a victim, specifically she has said she was a sex slave, who has not only been raped, but tortured as well. The torture includes having her chest slashed with a razor blade (I am guessing that if this ever goes to trial then the pictures will find their way to the Internet eventually).

The plot of this saga is an interesting one as the reports of abuse have been not so secret for some time. Manohara's mother when tried to get into Malaysia to check the reports out for herself but was blocked from doing so by Malaysian authorities. The Indonesian government was not so forth coming in providing any consular assistance either. The mother, Daisy Fajarina, is threatening to get the legal action ball rolling and suing the prince. Perhaps she should sue the Indonesian government as well considering it was the Indonesian government that said Manohara was all well with her happy-go-lucky prince charming.

The other thing to consider is Manohara' age and the fact that her mother seems to have agreed to, and signed off on, the marriage. So, should she be held partly responsible, contributory negligence on the old lady's part?

The escape seems to have been well-coordinated and premised on some good behaviour on Manohara's part as the prince let her travel to Singapore with the prince's family. Whilst in Singapore Manohara did the big bolt and with the assistance of Singaporean police she has managed to find her way to Jakarta and freedom.

Funnily enough the Indonesian authorities are now saying that they would be willing to assist her if she was keen to file charges. If charges are to be filed then it would appear that seeing the alleged crimes were committed in Malaysia's jurisdiction then the charges must be filed there. I am also guessing that Manohara might have to return to Malaysia to give testimony in any trial (although I would have to check whether Malaysian law would allow in camera testimony via video link from Jakarta).

This case has all the ingredients for a sensational trial if it is allowed to get that far. Hopefully, it is not just consigned to the gossip scrapheap.

I am guessing a divorce must be the first item on the agenda.

Rhianna in Jakarta -- Canceled?

Rhianna, or at least her management, have decided to cancel the concert scheduled for Friday night. The local promoter is suggesting that the concert is not canceled but rather postponed to sometime in January or February.

The reason is that Rhianna and her team allegedly have some security concerns. These concerns are supposedly heightened security alerts for the country. The speculation is undoubtedly going to be on the recent executions of the Bali Three (aka Amrozi, Mukhlas, and Samudra). However, my understanding is that this is mere speculation and the concern was security in general.

The promoter has allegedly sent representatives to Singapore to lobby Rhianna's management for a change of heart. However, with the concert to be held tomorrow a pretty quick change of heart is required in order to make the logistics work.

The promoter seems to be concerned with the billions of Rupiah in losses that will be sustained if the concert does not go ahead. Now, here's the thing. If you are a music promoter in Indonesia, I would have thought that it would have made good business sense to get insurance for this very thing. It is not like it is the first time a world class music act has pulled the plug because of security fears / concerns.

It seems ticket holders need not fear, as the promoter has guaranteed that all ticket holders are to be refunded. I am sure they would have preferred to see Rhianna in concert though. May be in January or February!

Singapore, F1, and Escorts

Escort agencies and escorts in Singapore have been doing a roaring trade over the last week or so. The F1 does not only bring the best drivers to the track, it also seems to bring out the big spenders, some of whom are looking for someone to accompany them for a short time. And here I was thinking that an Escort was a Ford motor car and an Escort Agency was a place where you could hire a car, an Escort to be precise. Oh well!

It has been reported that one escort agency took a booking on behalf of a local star for some SGD 40K. This was for only six hours work and required nothing more than a few smiles and some small talk. I am not sure how much the escort gets and how much the agency gets, but it is good money if you can get it. I do not even earn 40K in a year. I am obviously in the wrong business.

Generally, any sexual services are negotiated separately between the escort and the client. This undoubtedly adds to the overall cost. I wonder if these are being written off as "entertainment expenses"? Singapore is one of those jurisdictions where prostitution is legal but solicitation is not.

The difference by my reckoning is that if you meet the girl have a sexual encounter with the girl and then decide to pay her for that sexual encounter then this would be prostitution, or where the sex is enjoyed in a regulated brothel, then this is legal. Whereas, if the girl meets you and offers you her sexual services for a fee this would be solicitation or where you meet the girl and offer to pay for a sexual service then this would be illegal. I think I need to look up and read the relevant Singaporean law.

Now that the race is over, I guess it is a matter of waiting 12 months for the next Singapore Grand Prix and the associated spike in revenue enjoyed by the escorts and their agencies.

Crime In Singapore

Singapore is often promoted as a "fine" city with just about every little indiscretion resulting in a potential fine. However, it would seem that Singapore is just not producing enough bad boys and girls to warrant the continued construction of two more prisons within the Changi Prison Complex.

This sounds like Singapore would be a good place to live, particularly if you are interested in places with a low crime rate and seemingly a safe place live, work, and raise a family. The problem though, at least as it appears, is that Singapore has an aging population. Aside from not producing enough criminals to fill its prisons, Singapore may have to embark on a more aggressive approach to get Singaporeans to procreate or facilitate greater numbers of immigrants arriving in the island State.

There are just 11,768 prisoners in Singapore at the moment. This is apparently a ten-year low that is to get lower still. So, if the crime rate is projected to fall even further then the numbers of new prisoners coming into the system is likely to be a lot less than any new prisoners coming into the system. This falling crime rate is reflected in the statistics which show that crime per 100,000 people fell from 974 occurrences in 1997 to 696 in 2007. It seems that recidivism rates are also falling which means less former prisoners are returning to the system. The recidivism rate has dropped from 50% in 1997 to about 25% in 2005.

I was in Singapore a week or so ago. I have always felt particularly safe wandering around the streets of Singapore late at night or in the wee hours of the morning. I do not mind going to Singapore every now and then as a means of escaping the chaos that is Jakarta. It is nice to be able to take air-conditioned public transport like buses and the MRT, walk around on well-maintained footpaths, have cars stop at red lights and pedestrian crossings, and generally to be able to wander around without the "hey mister" thing following me everywhere! However, after a few days of order it is also always nice to get back to the chaos that is Jakarta.

The Organ Trade

The organ trade is alive and well in Indonesia. It is being facilitated locally for international buyers and Singapore is a destination of choice. The beauty of Singapore is that it is close, it is clean, the hospitals are good, and doctors are turning a blind eye in some instances to the more intricate technicalities such as whether the donor and the recipient are truly related.

This story (based on a story in the Straits Times 27 July 2008) comes out of Galang which is about 70 kms from Medan in North Sumatera. It seems that there is no shortage of willing sellers who see their organs as tickets to some degree of financial independence and a better life for them and their families. The going rate for a kidney at the moment is about IDR 250 million which is about AUD 28,000. The going rate for a portion of your liver is about IDR 300 million.

To be clear the buying and selling of organs in Singapore is illegal. However, where the donor and the recipient of the organ are related then there is no ethical problem in the donor offering up their organs for transplant. A couple of Indonesians have been jailed and fined in Singapore for attempting to part with their organs for a fee. The laws in Indonesia also prohibit the trade of organs and hospitals are supposed to refuse surgery where it seems that there are commercial factors at play.

This is a case of simple math or economics. If you are earning IDR 5, 10, 15, or 20 thousand per day, then the idea of a IDR 250 million pay day for parting with a kidney might seem to be an attractive option for short term gain.

A case on point is that of Salimudin who sold 7.5cm of his liver for IDR 300 million. The process was one contingent on lies in that Salimudin was flown to Singapore and made two false declarations; one at the Indonesian Embassy and the second at the hospital in front of 10 doctors. Now that the formalities were over and everyone was satisfied that Salimudin was related to the recipient known as Samsul, the operation was carried out.

The IDR 300 million has allowed Salimudin to buy a 5,000sqm palm tree plantation and a house. By Salimudin's account everything is peaches as he and his family are better off than they were before and it only cost him 7.5cms of his liver. Life though is not that good that he would not consider selling a kidney.

Is this the first step into a brave new world where we breed people for organs?

Singapore

Dear Readers...if you were wondering whether I had passed on to the next world or not because of a couple of days without posting, then there is no need to wonder any longer!

I am in Singapore and have either been too busy or too lazy to turn on the laptop and log in to write.

I am here for work, and work only, and my days have been full and at the end of them I am pretty shagged and choose to sleep instead of blog. I am also here to do the dreaded visa run. I haven't done one for 5 years and I now know why I was glad for that. I am sure the Embassy will be very efficient and hopefully way more efficient than the Jakarta based agent that is supposed to be organizing all of the things I need to have done and be doing. So far they have not been relieving me of stress associated with this.

I have been asking them questions like how long does it take once I submit my passport and forms at the Embassy? A day but apparently this is not the case according to the Indonesian Embassy website in Singapore which says 2 working days. Is there a fee? No, but once again the website suggests differently. Do I need a passport photo? No, but you guessed it, the website suggests differently on this too. My mistake was not to check the website sooner and to believe the agent.

Other than that the order and cleanliness of Singapore is a nice reprieve from the chaos that is Jakarta. The only real downer is that my better and pregnant half could not come along for the ride. After 7.5 years of dating and almost 6 years of marriage I miss the company and perhaps even more so now, I suppose this is what pending fatherhood for the first time does to a man!

Life goes on and it is now time to do some work.

Indonesia and Jemaah Islamiyya

There have not been any terrorist bombings in Indonesia for some time. Hopefully, it will stay like this for some time into the future. It seems the Indonesian police are on a bit of a roll and in particular the anti-terrorist unit, Detachment 88, who have arrested a further 10 suspected Jemaah Islamiyya followers and wanna be terrorists. The Spiritual Head of Jemaah Islamiyya is Abu Bakar Ba'asyir (Bashir) (make whatever interpretation you will of the cartoon / caricature).

The police allege that the 10 were planning to bomb a cafe somewhere in Sumatra. The police did not say where, but I would of thought the most likely place would have to be Medan. However, if the attack was to be directed at tourists then places like Danau Toba and Bukit Tinggi might be likely. The Bedudel Cafe in the Chinatown district of Bukit Tinggi has been listed as a target in the past.

The suspects are linked to Mas Selamat bin Kastari. Mas Selamat is alleged to head up Singapore's JI operations and recently embarrassed Singaporean authorities with the ease of his escape from custody. One of the suspects is an English teacher, not that that is important on its own, who is also the chief bomb making instructor.

Police spokesman, Abubakar Nataprawira, said that the teacher was arrested in South Sumatra on Saturday "based on a red notice issued by the Singapore government for involvement in the terrorist network of JI, which is a forbidden terrorism organisation in Singapore". This is likely to mean that the suspect is Singaporean but he could easily be Indonesian. The police have only released his initials, MH, so far. However, the belief is that MH is closely linked to Mas Selamat. Sidney Jones of the International Crisis Group believes that MH is most likely a member of the Singaporean JI cell.

Mas Selamat was arrested and detained in Singapore as intelligence at the time indicated that the JI cell in Singapore were advanced in a plan to hijack a plane and crash it into Changi airport back in 2001.

Although the arrests will prove to be another setback to JI in Indonesia and perhaps the region, the threat still remains with Noordin Mohammad Top still at large. Top is known to be committed to targeting places that are frequented by foreigners and civilians.

The suspects also include the Head of a local hard-line religious group who was once accused of trying to murder a priest in 2005. Another of the suspects is the Head of a local Pesantren or Islamic Boarding School who is alleged to have received terror training in Afghanistan in the 1980's.

These are significant arrests but with the real leaders still at large it is a bit premature to say that the end is nigh for JI. Nevertheless, 10 arrests at once is sure to make a significant dent in the operational capabilities of JI. Perhaps some of the suspects might be knowledgeable enough that the bigger fish might be caught as well.

But credit must be given where credit is due. Credit is due here because the planning for a terrorist bomb attack by these clowns was well advanced. The police have saved lives with these arrests and for that we must be grateful.