Avoid travel to Bali and Indonesia in general

Posted by John under Travel

If you disagree with the laws in Indonesia, especially related to drugs, then you would be very wise to avoid traveling there. Here are a few of the reasons why you should avoid it.

A 14-year-old Australian boy was arrested in Bali recently for possessing a small amount of Marijuana. The media in Australia reported that the police routinely set people up in the hope that thousands of dollars in bribes will be paid for the release of those caught. Victims of this corruption have reported that they have been through it themselves. It is widely considered that this is what happened to this boy and the media reported that witnesses saw it happen to him.

He is now in a hellhole prison reportedly containing a pedophile and of course murderers and all the other usual suspects (pardon the pun). This is an adult prison of course because minors are treated no differently in Indonesia. It could take months to go to court if no bribes are paid quickly and if convicted he will be there for potentially 6 to 12 years.

So here is how the scam works. A guy comes up to you in Bali for example, the best place to find this scam every day, and he makes up a story that he needs to go to the toilet and he asks you to hold something for a short while. If you take it, he leaves the area and the next minute the police are right in front of you. Bang, you are arrested because what you are holding contains drugs. That is just one example of how the scam occurs but there are others.

The police only make a few hundred dollars a month from their wages so to make a lot more money they engage in extortion, bribery and so on. This is well documented so there is no need to doubt any of it and you can observe it yourself if you go there. It is not just drugs (the bribe you pay for your release is around ten thousand dollars) but motoring offenses usually as well. Here, they just make up any reason to ask for a bribe and it costs you much more if you take it to court so do not drive around there or ride a motorbike there.

There are countless methods of extortion and bribery in Indonesia so I will leave it at that where examples are concerned. The point I want to make is that you as a responsible consumer and in this case a responsible traveler should avoid countries like Indonesia. If you live in Australia just go to Queensland or northern Western Australia because it is almost the same. If you live in America just go to Florida or Southern California. There is really no need to go anywhere outside these locations or western European countries.

If you do go to Bali especially, remember this:

• a) Criminals associated with the police work in the airports and can insert drugs in your luggage and point you out to the police later. Take very little luggage with you when you go there in the first place and always lock your bag. If when you pick it up at the airport you see that it has been tampered with leave it and flee immediately (the police will be right behind you).
• b) Criminals work with the police on the street to set people up for drug possession in the hope that a bribe will be paid for their release. Sometimes the criminal is a beggar “selling” you something (containing drugs) or sometimes they just ask you to hold something for a moment.
• c) Police investigations are usually fictional accounts of what happened. You can be convicted based on this or be put to death in the case of drugs.
• d) Governments around the world know that all this happens. Sometimes they use it to their advantage and sometimes they do not. So do not rely on your government to help you if you are caught in Indonesia because some have knowingly helped Indonesian police to set up foreign citizens despite the death penalty. The Australian government for example could have Schapelle Corby returned to Australia literally overnight if they wanted to but they choose not to. Her family cannot afford the bribes so she has become a zoo attraction in exchange for money by prison authorities. She is not facing the death penalty but nevertheless this could happen to you or your child.
• e) Avoid driving or riding a motorbike in Indonesia.
• f) If you are asked for your papers the police will say the papers are not in order. Argue continuously until they drop their bribery attempt (they sometimes do so you might be lucky).
• g) Keep away from nightclubs where many foreigners are gathered.
• i) There is no trial by jury in Indonesia, only by corrupt judges and so you know the outcome before the trial even starts. Never risk it by not paying the bribes!
• And of course, never use a credit or debit card in a hotel if you can help it because some of these contain corrupt staff as well.

Ultimately it is best to avoid travel to Indonesia. Support your local economy first by traveling there instead of supporting criminals overseas.