'Bambang, get in back of the line'
One can sometimes learn a lot about certain cultures from little things. One such thing is the tradition of lining up to wait for something in a public place. The seemingly generally understood practice,is however often ignored by Indonesians -- including senior government officials. The officials are apparently used to be doted upon everywhere they go.
State/Cabinet Secretary Bambang Kesowo is just one of these examples. The minister continually has drawn the ire of others by his habit of cutting in line or just going straight to the head of the any line where people are waiting to be checked by security men before entering the Sheraton hotel compound.
At one point he haughtily strode past two foreign journalists who had been waiting to go through the security checks.
Irked by his behavior, one of the journalists said half yelling at Bambang: "I was in line ahead of you." Bambang, who was talking on his cellular phone, suddenly turned sheepish, told him he was sorry, and allowed the journalists to go ahead of him.
;JP; ANPAf..r.. Bali-phone-sidelines 'Oh No!, my cell won't work' JP/13/Bali
'Oh No!, my cell won't work'
For security reasons, all cellular phone signals have been jammed around the venue summit. However, State Minister for Development of Eastern Indonesia Manuel Kaisiepo did not realize it, thinking that his cellular phone must have been on the blink. So he did what most of the world's cellular phone technicians are apparently trained to do -- he shook it violently.
After attending a ministerial meeting between Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines on Monday, the minister tried to make a phone call from his phone and found that it still would not work.
He moved around from one spot to another shaking it as he went only to find the "no signal" sign on his cell phone. After trying for a few minutes, he decided to put the phone back in his pocket.
"The minister should be informed by about the security measures. He looks so confused," said one snickering conference official. --JP
;JP; ANPAf..r.. Bali-Summit-theft Easy theft amid tight security JP/13/Bali2
Easy theft amid tight security
When inspecting the ASEAN summit venue on Sunday, National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar was clearly satisfied with police preparations to secure the two-day meeting which will last until Wednesday.
Security is very tight around the venue because the government does not want any terror attacks during the summit.
For the crew members of RCTI TV station who are covering the summit, the situation was indeed not safe in the hotel where they are staying although the hotel is situated near the summit venue. On Sunday morning, thieves stole goods from three of five rooms they were using. They took several cellular phones, cash and other belongings worth about Rp 16 million.
"We have reported the theft to police," said one of its reporter. Probably the reporter hopes Bachtiar will receive the report. JP
;JP; ANPAf..r.. Bali-Summit-profit Who needs profit anyway? JP/13/Balis
Who needs profit anyway?
When President Megawati Soekarnoputri opened the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit here on Sunday she read out her written speech in English.
The President can actually speak English fairly well, but while reading her speech, she stumbled embarrassingly on the word profiting, calling it something on the order of "provaiting". She tried to correct her mistake but still failed.
"She looked a bit nervous. Actually she should not worry about it because at least she tried hard," said one of the guests.
Her step-sister Kartika Soekarnoputri drilled her in English before the President addressed the United Nations General Assembly last month.
Kartika probably needs fly over here from her home in New York to resume the English lessons for the President, or maybe she can enroll at one of the many private English schools here. JP