Indonesia

Indonesia: Death Sentence for Drug-Smuggling Grandma

Date: January 23rd, 2013 |

A British grandmother was sentenced to death Jan. 22 for smuggling cocaine into the tourist haven of Bali. Police arrested the 56-year-old woman at Denpasar airport in May, after finding more than 10 lbs. of cocaine—worth about $2.5 million—hidden in her luggage. The British government has decried the sentence as too harsh and a human [read more]

Indonesia: Police Halt Terrorist Plot to Bomb U.S. Embassy

Date: October 31st, 2012 |

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National police have arrested eleven Islamic militants that appeared to be plotting to bomb the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, as well as its consulate in Surabaya and other Western facilities. During an Oct. 26-27 raid, authorities recovered numerous explosives from a Java housing complex where the group was based, including a bomb that was assembled [read more]

Indonesia: Doctors Warn Travelers to Avoid Locally Brewed Spirits

Date: August 7th, 2012 |

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After a 19-year-old backpacker from New Zealand suffered permanent eye damage from drinking locally brewed alcohol, doctors are reminding visitors to Indonesia to avoid the cheap spirit called “arak” or “arrack.” Produced illegally and often distilled improperly, arak may contain enough methanol to cause blindness or even death. A ubiquitous ingredient in cheap or complimentary [read more]

Indonesia: “Child of Krakatoa” Ready to Erupt

Date: October 8th, 2011 |

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Tourists and fishermen have been warned to stay away from the “Child of Krakatoa,” a volcano created by the same tectonic forces that led to the 1883 Krakatoa, one of history’s great cataclysms that killed tens of thousands of people. “Child” is currently smoking, and daily volcanic tremors have soared from 200 to 7,200. The [read more]

Indonesia: Mount Bromo Erupts, Forces Airport Closure

Date: December 1st, 2010 |

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Mount Bromo, an active volcano on the island of Java that is a popular tourist attraction, erupted recently after lying dormant for a year. The blast caused no reported injuries or major damage but prompted a five-day shutdown of the airport in Malang, 15 miles away. Officials warned that a bigger eruption may [read more]

Indonesia: Police Foil Terrorist Plot on Sulawesi and Sumbawa

Date: January 9th, 2013 |

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National police killed seven suspected terrorists and arrested four more in a series of recent raids, thwarting a planned attack on tourist hot-spots on Sulawesi and Sumbawa. The terrorists were targeting hotels, churches and police buildings in the Sumbawa town of Bima and Tana Toraja in south Sulawesi, authorities said. Both places are popular tourist [read more]

Indonesia: Ten Years After the Bali Bombing, Are Tourists Safe?

Date: October 17th, 2012 |

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Ten years after the infamous Bali nightclub bombing, should tourists still be concerned about safety? Concerned, perhaps, but not paranoid, say industry experts. The 2002 Islamist attack, one of the first and deadliest aimed at Western tourists, killed 202 people and woke up the tourist industry to a host of new security issues. Tourism has [read more]

Indonesia: Bali’s Dark Side May Tarnish Peaceful, Spiritual Image

Date: July 31st, 2012 |

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Along with Bali’s increase in spiritual tourism, the famous paradise island is contending with a number of reports that could tarnish its peaceful, relaxing image, tourism officials fear. A recent surge in drug trafficking incidents, prostitution and reported HIV infections indicate that not all is well here. In addition to the negative headlines, many visitors [read more]

Indonesia: Mount Lokon Erupts

Date: July 25th, 2011 |

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Sulawesi’s Mount Lokon ended years of dormancy with a major eruption July 17. The blast sent ash and smoke thousands of feet into the air, panicking many of the surrounding villagers who had returned to the mountainside after warnings of a possible large eruption. Airlines with flights traveling within 10 miles of the peak were [read more]

Indonesia: Tsunami and Volcanic Eruption Come within Hours

Date: October 27th, 2010 |

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The seismic “Ring of Fire” that encircles the Pacific and includes the Indonesian archipelago rumbled with an undersea earthquake and volcanic eruption 800 miles and just a few hours apart this week. Scientists had been predicting a major eruption of Java’s Mt. Merapi and warned that its biggest eruption in years could still occur in [read more]

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