Ripped off
\nby police in Bali<\/p>\n
I've just returned home from a 22-day holiday in Bali. I
\nstayed at the Hilton at Nusa Dua, and enjoyed, once again, the
\nfantastic atmosphere, as well as the delicious local food.
\nThis trip, the fourth in five years, was completely different
\nfrom the last one. Different, because of the attitude of the
\nlocal police.<\/p>\n
Every day, I read The Jakarta Post, and my attention was
\nrepeatedly drawn to corruption in your wonderful country.<\/p>\n
I rented a motorbike in Kuta for two weeks. On my way from
\nKuta to Nusa Dua, I had to cross, at a light-controlled
\nintersection, the road that leads to the airport. As I approached
\nthe intersection, the lights turned to amber\/red, and everybody
\ncontinued on their way except for me. I was the first to stop,
\nbecause the cars and motorbikes from the other street had started
\nto move forward.<\/p>\n
A policeman standing at the crossing came over and asked me to
\nget down from my motorbike. He also took the keys, and gave me
\ninstructions to follow him to the booth. There he started telling
\nme that I had made a big mistake, as I was responsible for
\nholding up the traffic. I explained to him the reason for my
\nstopping, but he didn't want to know. He started writing on a pad
\nof forms and told me that I had to go to court in five days.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, one of his colleagues entered the booth with a
\nFrenchman, who had, according to that policeman, committed a
\ntraffic offense with his car. Finally, they asked us to \"find a
\nsolution\", which, for me on a motorbike, was cheaper. The \"fine\"
\nfor me was Rp 100,000 and for the Frenchman Rp 200,000.<\/p>\n
We agreed to pay but asked for a receipt, as is usual in all
\ncountries if you pay something. This was completely impossible,
\nbut they did promise that the money would go directly to the
\nstate's coffers.<\/p>\n
GUY ROOTHAERT<\/p>\n
Antwerpen, Belgium<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ripped-off-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }