Councillors' trip to Tokyo, Beijing just for fun: NGO

JAKARTA (JP): A non-governmental organization (NGO) said on Wednesday that a copy of a letter revealed the visit by 17 city councillors to Tokyo and Beijing was for pleasure and not a comparative study as previously claimed.

Ganda Hutabarat, the secretary of the Jakarta Study Center (PPJ), said the letter contained a tour schedule organized by Anta Tour, a travel agency which arranged the councillors' current trip.

"The council should not claim it was a comparative study. It was just for pleasure," Ganda said.

He said the councillors visited the Tokyo fire department on the third day of their seven-day trip.

"The remaining six days will be used to visit tourist destinations," he said.

According to the letter, the councillors departed on Sunday for Tokyo via Singapore on Singapore Airlines flight SQ163 at about 7:30 p.m.

They arrived on Monday morning and went on a city tour, visiting the Imperial Palace Gardens, Tokyo Tower, Asakusa Kanon Temple and Nakaise shopping area.

On the third day, they visited the fire department and then continued the city tour by visiting Metropolitan Government Hall and Odaiha artificial seashore.

The councillors left Tokyo for Beijing on the fourth day of the trip.

The following morning, they visited the Great Wall and Ming Tomb, a grave for the Ming dynasty. In the evening they will watch an acrobatic show.

On the sixth day of the trip, the letter stated that the councillors would visit the Forbidden City and enjoy Beijing's world-famous cuisine, including Peking duck.

On the last day of the trip, the councillors will arrive home, again on Singapore Airlines, flight number SQ 811.

Anta Tour charged the councillors US$2,115 each for visas for Japan and China at $60 each, airport tax of $25 each and fiscal tax of Rp 1.07 million.

The company stated that the $2,115 was for the air ticket and accommodation at two five-star hotels, the Century Hyatt in Tokyo and the Sheraton in Beijing.

An Anta Tour employee, who asked not to be named, said on Wednesday that the company handled the councillors' trip, but he refused to give further details.

City Governor Sutiyoso refused to comment on the councillors' trip, which was funded by the city budget.

"I don't want to comment on it. It's up to them to use the money," Sutiyoso said on Wednesday at City Hall.

The city budget allocated Rp 12 billion ($1.3 million) for the councillors' domestic and foreign trips. Half of the fund has been used.

City Council chairman Edy Waluyo claimed on Tuesday that the trips to Tokyo and Beijing by the council's commission A for administration, security and public order, government affairs, were prepared two months ago.

"The comparative study was included in the city budget. We could not change that," Edy said, adding that they went to Japan to study disaster management.

Indonesian consulates in Madrid and Los Angeles have sent letters complaining that the trips were ineffective due to a lack of preparation.

The consulates said they were not given sufficient time to arrange meetings between the councillors and the local officials in the two cities. (jun)