"My sister's fiancι is Dutch.

And he said even if he had the money,

he'd be better off investing it in a business..."

A woman

who called up The Jakarta Post the other day in a panic after reading
a Post article on the proposal for the government to require expatriate
men to deposit some Rp 500 million (about US$50,000) before marrying
an Indonesian woman. Source: Jakarta Post

Fresh bird flu fears rattle Asia  -  Indonesia confirms its fourth human death from bird flu, as China reports a new outbreak of the virus among poultry.  (BBC)




 

UN hopes to deploy Indonesia bird flu teams in weeks
Terrorists change recruiting tactics
Indonesia fears end-of-Ramadan terrorism
Production of Bali Bombings Mini-Series Halted
 

Indonesia denied entry, alerted FBI of attorney The Hawaii-based lawyer facing federal charges for allegedly wiring $200,000 of his client's money to a personal account in Indonesia was located there by federal authorities after he was denied access into the country. (Guam Newspaper)

FROM THE EDITOR:

Last week Thursday BuGils had one of these nights. People were dancing on tables. Shots of tequila in every corner. The music went louder and louder. The ones that were in, called their friends and more people came. Nobody wanted to go home. It was almost like BuGils was building up to a climax, ready to explode.

Suddenly they came in. Police officers with hats bigger then their heads. Little men in green government uniforms. Sneaky black dressed men on the background with cigarettes in an extended filter, holding it just a bit different then people normally holding a cigarette. They came in big time. It had to happen one day. For six years my motto had been No Guts, No Glory and I sternly had refused to serve the holy water of Heineken in coffee mugs. Now, it was all over. While trying to talk my way out of it, outside on the terrace, one Dutch regular stumbled outside. 'Bart, who are all these people? Can I buy them a beer? They look thirsty to me." He slapped an officer on his shoulder. 'He, mate! Biertje?' (a beer?). I let my face sank in my hands. They were not amused. Inside the music started to pump up again. Never before I had heard people singing in BuGils the song  'Alice!? Who the f... is Alice?'  so loud... It was wrong...

The next day I had to come to the governors office on Jalan Merdeka Selatan. For four hours they kept me waiting, but this I had expected so I brought some magazines. It seemed that the Trantib department had a quiet day. Or maybe for them it was actually a busy day, I couldn't figure it out. I observed them. The puasa clearly took a toll on some of them. Luckily there was football on the TV's in every corner of the office, so the ones who managed to stay awake, tried to focus on the little white men running back and forth on the screen. Sometimes one person would suddenly stand up and walk slowly to the other end of the office with some paper in his hand. Colleagues would try to pinch the person. Lots of slow laughs. And then somebody else would try to walk somewhere and the same thing would happen. I asked if Pak Bresman or Pak Harianto already had arrived. No. On his way. Meeting. Lagi makan. You just wait a little longer, Mr. Bartele... Then I received a call from the office that some government people were busy sealing off the bar, as if it was a crime scene. And in a way it was. Mr. Bart had been bandel (naughty). I understood it was to no use to wait any longer. The brown envelope could be brought back home. I called some 'befriended' government officials and they told me that the BuGils case had gone to a higher level. We had been 'grassed' on - the cover was blown..
 

The staff was in great confusion. 'What are we supposed to do now!?', was their first reaction. That evening I received a lot of supportive messages on my mobile. One regular was happy that he finally could rest a bit (Lens, red.). Another, a Scotsman, told me honestly he had been crying. Huib, also known as Mr.Tong, apparently was seen walking in distress on Sudirman Street, naked. That night I couldn't sleep. Not only because of the image of Huib walking naked on Sudirman, but also because I expected my regular sales report by SMS from Uci the cashier. It never arrived. Just now (while typing this editorial) I received a call from my mother. She said she couldn't sleep last night. Something was worrying her. She figured out that once I will manage two bars, maybe my alcohol intake will also double! I decided not to tell her about the problems with the Indonesian government officials. Then my father wanted to say something. It was about my brother. He had not been the same since he had come back from his holiday to Indonesia two months earlier. My father suspected him of trying to bring a girl over to Friesland. 'Can you check this out for us? He doesn't tell us anything!' I refused. 'I don't like people tipping off', I explained. 'Yes, but maybe he brings a girl that doesn't want to work. If it doesn't work out, it will cost him a lot of money!'. I thought for a second on how to calm the old man down. 'Dad, maybe it will go wrong. But if he doesn't take the risk he will never have some fun. What else is there to do in Northern Holland? Nothing. And it is only one girl anyway. Let him go. No guts, no glory, dad. No guts, no glory....'.   I hang up. Again I sank my face in my hands.   -- Bartele

Latest: No news yet. BuGils is still closed until further notice. If you want to be informed by sms on when it will be open again, please email your name and handphone number to:  info@bugils.com   If in any case the BuGils is still not open by Friday, I am organising a BuGils Pub Crawl this Saturday. All the BuGils staff will join and serve you beers for free in our Orange BuGils Bus (still to be rented!). For more info on this, also email to info@bugils.com . 

ELSEWHERE IN ASIA:

Tourist charged for bathing naked  -- Indian police have brought charges against a Finnish tourist for bathing naked in a holy lake in a Hindu pilgrim town, a police officer said on Monday.

Bargain-Hunting Tips: Shower With the Dog  -- Shower with your dog, live in a tent and confiscate your husband's credit cards. These are some of the mostly tongue-in-cheek moneysaving tips given by contestants in a competition to find New Zealand's thriftiest shopper, organizers said Tuesday.
 

SBY's troubled first year in office
Four fatal earthquakes, including the one which caused last December's massive tsunami off the coast of Aceh, an outbreak of polio, avian flu, soaring global oil prices and more bombs in Bali - it has been a tough first year for the president. (BBC)
 

Fishermen caught by lure of the fin

SAHRI Laode poked at his haul of shark fins, laid out to dry under the hot Indonesian sun. "I don't want my son to be a fisherman," he said. "It's misery. We can suffer, but our children shouldn't suffer." 

Amputated from more than 20 sharks, probably caught in Australian waters, the fins represented a substantial investment, and the spoils of a long-running gamble. Yet for poor Indonesian fisherman, the rewards of fishing for sharks in Australian seas are small and the risks are capture and jail. (The Australian)

Politicizing Indonesia's military  -  Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's national intelligence and police agencies are so feeble he has called on the military to help get a handle on terrorism. Under normal circumstances that might not be a bad idea, but the military already has enough troubles of its own. (Asia Times)

Ensure your receipt of this publication by taking a moment to click the “Confirm” button below. This affirms your wish to receive this newsletter, getting you VIP mail routing from us to your ISP