"Indonesia should get double or triple the current revenue sharing from Freeport. 

Freeport paid Indonesia about US$1 billion since 2004, including for security at
the Grasberg mine that sparked a U.S. government inquiry All payments were "fully disclosed,"
and New Orleans-based Freeport spent $6 million to $7 million annually to guard the mine, Adkerson said. The payments included taxes, royalties and profit from the government's 9.36 percent stake in Grasberg, the world's biggest gold mine and second-biggest copper mine. (JKT Post)

Indonesian billionaire makes play for 'Les A'
AN INDONESIAN cigarette billionaire is in advanced talks to acquire Les Ambassadeurs, Britain’s most exclusive casino from London Clubs International.  Putera Sampoerna, who is billed as Indonesia's third richest man, is said to be worth more than £1 billion after selling his clove cigarette business to Philip Morris for $5.2 billion.(Telegraph).

VERSTAPPEN TO ADAPT FOR RAIN  -Jos Verstappen has welcomed predictions of rain in Indonesia this weekend as he looks to build on his first race win for 14 years. (SL)
Also: Security stepped up at Sentul (pitpass.com)

Last hope for three Christian women accused of proselytising dies
Indonesia’s Supreme court has rejected appeals lodged by three Christian teachers accused of proselytising. The three teachers ran a Dominican school in their local community of  Indramayu, West Java. On September 1st 2005 they were condemned for having violated the 2002 child protection law. The Indonesian Council of Mullahs (Mui) have accused them of trying to convert Muslim children to Christianity. None of the children who attended the school have however converted to Christianity. Moreover, all of the children had written parental permission to participate. (Asia News)

Playboy sparks Indonesia porn row

Indonesia is caught up in a growing debate about pornography.  News that the raunchy Playboy magazine has signed a deal to produce a local edition has fuelled the controversy. (BBC) 

Also: No playmates for Indonesian playboys (Asia Times)

Danish Red Cross Workers Waiting in Jakarta (Scandasia.com)
Indonesia Cancels Badminton With Danes (Yahoo)
Malaysia paper shut over cartoon (BBC)
Indonesian editor in trouble for re-printing Mohammed cartoons

FROM THE EDITOR:

I hope you don't get tired of my staff stories, but I just have to tell you just one more...

As some of you already know I have severe staff problems in Cazbar. The ex-husband of one waitress came to terrorize the place, just after we opened. (I never wrote about this to prevent bad publicity, but now it is with the permission from the person involved). For a few days in a row he stalked the staff, made threatening phone calls and even came once to hit and knocked unconscious my assistant Aris . Luckily the police in the Kuningan area were very cooperative and locked the guy up for two weeks. The guys' parents came to Cazbar and asked me for help to get him out. I really felt sorry for these people. They were begging for forgiveness. I left it up to Aris, who didn't seem to be in a hurry but did agree to cooperate. While the parents of the jailed ex-husband of my waitress were waiting for Aris to make a letter for the police, their daughter came in. She turned out to be a TV soap model. She had blue lenses in her eyes, and for a moment I thought it was with the goal to hypnotize me. I was stunned. Was this the sister of the psycho who was terrorizing us!? Long story short, it took them another ten days of negotiating a pay-off price with the police to get him out. His sister called me to thank me for my help, and proudly told me that he was now studying the Koran to find forgiveness for his sins.

Finally things were back to normal again and the waitress was back to work. But one week after her ex-husband was released, she went missing. After three days she suddenly showed up again, just when I was having a breakfast in Cazbar. Her eye was swollen, colored blue and purple. It was obvious that she had pain all over her body. She was beaten up by her ex-husband. The poor girl. The psycho was out there again. I told the girl to stay away from Cazbar for the time being, and it didn't take long before the anonymous caller started again, scaring the hell out of the rest of the staff. The police are on it again now, and I am pretty sure he will not get away that easy this time. I am sure the guys' sister will soon be approaching me again, but blue lenses won't do it this time.

I decided to go to Blok M and relief some stress. There was my friend Lens talking to a girl in the middle of the street, somewhere in front of Topgun. 'Bart! Come here and look at her! She could be a very nice waitress!' The girl had no idea what Lens was talking about. 'Give her a name card!'. Lens was very enthusiastic as if he had discovered gold. I was not in a state or the mood to do staff interviews in the middle of a Blok M street at 02.00am, but I did gave her my name card and then moved on to Everest Cafe.

The next day, while still recovering from the night before, three girls step into Cazbar. 'Mr. Bart? Do you remember me?'  I was perplexed. 'Uhhh.... No. I don't think so..'  While they stood in front of me, the smallest of the three girls spread her arms. 'Its me! I met you last night in front of D's Place in Blok M!'. Some expats, apparently in a meeting at a table next to me, stopped talking and looked up. I took another sip of coffee and then I realised it was the girl I gave a name card to the night before. The three girls first dropped three bright and shiny colored handbags on the table before they sat down. 'Boleh rokok?' asked the little one. 'Sure. You can smoke.' All three of them lit a cigarette instantly. I put on the air cleaner. 'So you want to give me job?', said the little one looking me hopefully in the eyes. Her two friends started playing with their handphones. I now noticed the little girl had a moustache. 'Do you have experience?' I asked her. 'Yes, we work in a Japanese restaurant. And she (she pointed at the girl with long hair) works in Zanzibar. ' The girl with long hair smiled friendly in my direction. Her eyes were very beautiful, but the overload of make-up and attitude was not really helping her efforts to find a new job. I tried to find a way to get out of this. 'Oh, but this is not a place where Japanese normally go. This is more a place for Indonesians and westerners'. I said. And while I said it she immediately bowed forward. Westerners!? Bule's!? We LOVE bule's!' Her moustache lifted up to her ears. Again, customers at tables around us looked up. One or two bule's showed a slight grin in my direction.

'Excuse me, I need to go the toilet.' said the moustache. 'Me too', said the one with short hair. The third one laid her head on the table. It looked like she was instantly asleep. I ordered three ice tea's. Ten minutes later the two girls came back from the toilet. The little one pointed enthusiastically at the drinks on the table. 'Oh! Long Island Tea! My favorite!! (note: Long Island Ice Tea is one of the most lethal alcoholic cocktails)  I had to admit she was funny. Or was she serious? It was only ten in the morning, did she really expect a cocktail!? Now the girl with the short hair also went asleep with her head on the table. The moustache girl looked at me with a big smile. 'So, when can I start?' she asked.  'Well, I don't have a job offer at the moment, but maybe in BuGils we can use somebody like you', I responded. 'BuGils!?' she said in surprise. 'No. Not BuGils! I know too many bule's who go there! Ha, ha, ha!' She was all smiles at first but suddenly she was looking very serious. 'Mister Lens promised me you had a job...'. I shook my head. Mister Lens is sometimes mabuk (drunk). 'Oh....', she disappointedly replied , but she understood. 'Ok then! Maybe next time!'. The two other girls woke up simultaneously, grabbed their bags and in three seconds they were gone. -- Bartele

On the picture: Lens on another scouting tour?

---STOP PRESS---

POSTSCRIPT: Last night I received a late SMS from the moustache girl. 'Mister Bart, come to MyBar in Blok M? I have beautiful friend, looking for job!' I replied. 'Find Mister Lens and let him do the interview first.' Her reply: 'Ok Mister Bart. I will look for him now. Is he drunk?'



ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD:

Philly Bus Driver Tosses Woman Off Bus - PHILADELPHIA - A transit bus driver grabbed a woman by the hair, knocked her head into a pole, opened the door and tossed her into traffic after she yelled at him for missing her stop, police said.
 

Indonesia puts faith in foreigners (Int.Herald Tribune)

Indonesia's sovereign credit rating outlook raised to 'positive' ... (Forbes)
Indonesia Tourism set to recover this year predicts UNWTO
Jakarta plans to lower cost of borrowing (Business Times)
Unilever in Indonesia: links between int business & poverty reduction?...

Coming up:

THE HELICON PROMO PARTY

On Thursday February the 16th there will be FREE FLOW of BEER (from 6pm until 9pm) in BuGils Cafe, kindly sponsored by Financial Partners International.

This Saturday LIVE Music in BuGils. Starting at 21.00. Free entrance.

Muslim leader says Indonesia radicals get too much slack
Police and media in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, are too lax in their treatment of radical Islamic groups and their violence, a leading moderate Islamic cleric said on Thursday. (Washington Post)
 

Terrorist's last hideout a tourism boon in Indonesia

A huge banner points the way to Indonesia's latest tourist attraction: the shattered remains of the house where Azahari Husin, one of Asia's most-wanted terrorists, spent his last hours. "From the first day until today, it's been non-stop. And it's been 42 days," 35-year-old Danny says as he does a brisk trade hawking $3 T-shirts with slogans like "The End of Dr Azahari". (Mail & Guardian)

FOR SALE
       

1998 BMW 735iL. 2 owners, only 62,000 Km.  Black with grey leather interior, excellent condition.

Please call Rob on 0816 838 645
 

FOR SALE

Jakarta’s Best Bar Awards 2006  -  Click Here To Vote your BEST BAR

 

RECENT EDITIONS:

http://www.bartele.com/newsletters/Feb03nl2006.htm

http://www.bartele.com/newsletters/jan20nl2006.htm
 

http://www.bartele.com/newsletters/jan11nl2006.htm

http://www.bartele.com/newsletters/Dec23nl2005.htm

http://www.bartele.com/newsletters/Dec15nl2005.htm

http://www.bartele.com/newsletters/Nov21nl2005.htm

http://www.bartele.com/newsletters/Nov10nl2005.htm

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