Police checking IDs

I am an Indian girl living and working in Jakarta with an oil company. The other night I went out with some of my friends. While the group was returning in a couple of taxis, we were stopped near the Hard Rock Cafe about 1:30 a.m. A police van was parked on the side of the road and officers were stopping all cars to check IDs. Some of us were not carrying our IDs at the time.

A few of my friends who have been stopped before and who were carrying IDs advised against showing an ID to the police officer anyway. Because if you show them your ID, they confiscate it and then you have to pay much more money to get the ID back. As must already be obvious to the reader, the police officers wanted money.

They started with a demand of Rp 300,000, then bargained. And all of them connived in it. We wanted to call our company so that they could bring our IDs to the police station. But the police officer would not allow us to use our cellular phone to make the call. The message was clear: "Pay up or Pay up".

I am visiting in your country and it is not right of me to criticize my hosts or speak ill of them. The reason I am writing this letter is to draw the attention of those Indonesians who love Indonesia to one thing -- incidents like these, happening every day and everywhere, make a nation look like a bunch of greedy, corrupt and disgusting people. Foreigners like myself, will travel more; we will go back to our countries and take around these stories of Indonesia.

I have specified the place and the time of the incident in the hope that somebody from the Police will read this. Somebody who is not steeped in corruption and who loves their country enough to punish the people involved.

This message is sent with the hope that things can improve and people's confidence in justice in Indonesia can be restored somewhat. Who do I need to fear on the road? The police. I am sure you can appreciate how ridiculous that is and how that reflects on the nation.

KAJAL DEEPAK

Jakarta