================================================= Expat Worlds Monthly Digest ================================================= June, 2003 Vol. 5, Issue 6 .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ==== THE STORY =================== (Compliment from the Expat World Newsletter) -=The Local Scene – Indonesia ==== EW SPECIAL ================== -=4 Year's Back Issues of EXPAT WORLD Newsletter=- ==== HUMOR, TRIVIA, NEWS AND MORE... == -=Trivia=- -=News Story=- -=Traveller's Tales=- -=Jokes=- ==== THE RESOURCE TIP ============= -=Ashampoo Privacy Protector 1.04=- ==== INSIDE THIS MONTH EXPAT WORLD == -=Table of Content=- ==== THE STORY ================================== THE LOCAL SCENE -- INDONESIA Just a half hour away from Singapore the islands of Indonesia begin with the islands of Bintan and Batam. They are great places to go for nice seas and holidaying locally, maybe not in Bali's class, but still very nice. But things will change for expatriates in the area and tourist from the world over for : JAKARTA'S NEW VISA RULE SHOOTS ITSELF IN THE FOOT An official from Indonesia's Immigration Directorate penned a piece in defense of Jakarta's newly-imposed visa restrictions, an article so full of holes it quickly capsized before the eyes of anyone with a semblance of reason. Expatriates in Indonesia, wrote Ms. Junita Sitorus, are highly paid people who are pilfering jobs from equally qualified Indonesians. "How much have we lost in paying their salaries, income tax, exit leviers and visa revenue? And how much unemployment has been caused by these stolen-jobs in the past 10 years?" she wondered. This erroneous viewpoint reflects an overall anti-foreigner mindset of the ruling elite, and of their faithful civil servants. Overseas nationals in Indonesia find it an increasingly expensive country, one that imposes all manner of fees and charges, especially non-official payments to expedite paperwork, for the privilege of working in the country. Take this for an example: A limited-stay visa, good for one year, costs anywhere from US $200 to US $500, depending on who you are dealing with. And that is just the beginning. Want to leave the country on business or pleasure? Wait! You will need an exit permit, which costs nearly US $100 (and expires after 6 months if not used). Made it now to the airline check-in desk? Sorry, but in addition to your airport tax you will also have to pay an airport departure tax before you can leave of 1 million rupiah about US $120. The travel taxes cost almost double that of a return economy-class plane ticket from Jakarta to Singapore. Naturally, there is income tax, But add to that a charge of US$100 a month for all foreigners working here, which must be paid 12 months in advance. That fee is for what the government calls "development of the Indonesian people,". Locals working for expatriate companies have never heard of it, much less where the cash ends up. Reports of trillions of rupiah of the departure tax - whose designation is hazy, and is also applied to Indonesian citizens-- going missing circulate. If you are unlucky enough to live in the East Kalimantan city of Balikpapan, the local administration has just imposed a new foreigner fee for an air identify card , costing US $500, because, "they can afford it". So the point becomes: Foreign workers are not taking away positions from Indonesians; they are contributing massively to the governments coffers, when the overwhelming majority of the country's population still does not pay a penny in taxes. That brings us to Jakarta's surprise policy on its entry visa, which has been whittled down from 60 to 30 days, costs up to US$50 and is no longer available to 37 countries. The free visa-on-arrival facility is now only for citizens of nations that have a reciprocal arrangement with Indonesia, namely Brunei, Chile, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Turkey. Its withdrawal is not a shocker. It had been discussed at government level from the time of President Abdurrahman Wahid, who left office in July 2001 - but its timing is. Because of terrorism, SARS and the global slowdown, the tourism industry in Indonesia is already reeling. the livelihood of many thousands of hospitable workers is in serious doubt. A major hotel on Bali has temporarily closed shop due to massive dearth of foreign tourists to what, before the October bombing, used to be Indonesia's international tourist Mecca. The government is warning that employment could reach up to 40 million people by the end of this year. Public reaction to new the visa rules, noted in letters to the editor in local newspapers, ranges from "lunacy" to "absurd". Tourism chieftains, who had lobbied hard against the new policy, are left scratching their ass in bewilderment as government officials merrily envision countless foreigners packing US 50 dollar bills jetting in on packed 747s. The Indonesia government also thinks erroneously that the spanking new measure will also serve, to keep out terrorists, people bent on stoking regional separatist movements, foreign prostitutes and general busybodies, such as the American and British women who were arrested and jailed on visa violations in rebellious Aceh province last year for conducting "research" while on tourist visas. Jakarta also points out that many foreigners are working here while on the job-prohibited tourist permit, but fails to recount the draconian and drawn-out bureaucracy of obtaining proper documentation. It would make a lot more sense for the government to clean up the within its own infrastructure instead of creating more trouble for those outside. Indonesia, when they had some intelligent, non-greedy bureaucrats, introduced its free visa facility in the early 1980s to encourage tourism, and foreign holidaymakers came in their droves. Now they will stay away en masse. And all the while, Jakarta continues its relentless drive against foreigners, while enjoying the, bountiful fruits of their labor. ==== EW SPECIAL ================================= THE FIRST TIME OFFERED Now for the first time offered, you can get the last 4 year's back issues of EXPAT WORLD newsletter on a CD formatted for both Mac and PC computers. For readers of the Expat World Messenger this is your chance to get the real skinny on international events rather than just the crumbs we send you each week free in the EW Digest to peak your interest into becoming regular subscribers, either electronically or the hard copy version, to the REAL Thing, the EXPAT WORLD newsletter. So much has changed in the amount of freedom, personal and financial privacy, international loopholes and just the operation of the world community in the last 4 years that you need this CD to pretty much get you up to speed. But besides this instant education our newsletter is a cheeky, funny, and spot-on newsletter that leaves you waiting anxiously for the next issue. Don't miss out on this 4 year collection. It's available for only US $75. You can go to www.expatworld.net and "pay-on-line " with our secure server or send cash, check or money order payable to Expat World VIA REGISTERED AIRMAIL to: Max Bushby c/o Expat World, Box 1341 Raffles City, Singapore 911745. Get them while we still have the first burning of this CD available. There may not be a second burning. Order today! ==== HUMOR, TRIVIA, NEWS AND MORE... ================ TRIVIA Why is the wedding ring put on the ring finger of the left hand? A: It is believed a vein from this finger runs right to the heart B: Diamonds (usually on wedding rings) must be worn only on the left side of the body C: It is the least used finger and won't fall out or get lost D: The bride stands to the left of the bridegroom and the gesture makes them complete a circle (Answer below) ----- NEWS STORY Kiwi builds DIY cruise missile A New Zealand home handyman is attempting to build a do-it-yourself cruise missile with legal, off-the-shelf equipment for less than $US5,000 and chronicling the process on the Internet. But Bruce Simpson's activities are attracting official interest, particularly as he has now test-fired several jet engines. On his website, Simpson says he was challenged by US military experts over his claim the missile could easily be built. "In order to prove my case, I decided to put my money where my mouth is and build a cruise missile in my own garage, on a budget of just $US5,000," the 49-year-old Internet developer says. "Obviously the goal of this website is not to provide terrorists or other nefarious types with the plans for a working cruise missile but to prove the point that nations need to be prepared for this type of sophisticated attack from within their own borders." He said he managed to acquire most of the parts from the online auction house eBay, including a GPS system purchased for $US120 that "was delivered by international airmail in less than a week and passed through customs without any problems". The initial procurement is so far the only one of 15 stages of development completed in Mr Simpson's missile diary. Mr Simpson told Radio New Zealand it was a crude missile but it was easy enough to make and he expected to have it flying by the end of the month. "It's like a small aircraft powered by a jet engine," he said. He says it could easily reach a chosen destination up to 100 kilometres away, carrying a 10-kilogram payload. Authorities were reluctant to comment but it was clear they were taking an interest in the project. The Defence Department would not comment but one official told the New Zealand Herald that Simpson's website could be violating the international Missile Technology Control Regime, under which New Zealand has agreed to restrict the availability of missile technology. ----- TRAVELLER'S TALES BENT OUT OF SHAPE: A wrestler was rejected for a job in the police department because he had funny-looking ears. Ashok Kumar of Chandigarh, India, has passed all the preliminary medical tests to join the Central Reserve Police Force. But in the final reckoning he was declared unfit, the reason given being that his ears were of an "abnormal" shape. Kumar, furious, wrote to the authorities complaining about this decision by police doctors. He admitted that he had ell-mauled ears, but explained that it was normal for those organs to get stretched a bit through excessive wrestling. His story appeared in The Tribune newspaper, along with his allegations that there was a plot to prevent him from realizing his dream of becoming a policeman. The paper also printed comments from wrestling experts who agreed it was "quite common" for wrestlers to lose the shape of their ears after some time. Police doctors did not explain the connection between ear shape and police work. ----- "I will not eat oysters. I want my food dead. Not sick, not wounded, dead." --Woody Allen - "We had gay burglars the other night. They broke in and rearranged the furniture." --Robin Williams ----- A lawyer opened the door of his BMW, when suddenly a car came along and hit the door, ripping it off completely. When the police arrived at the scene, the lawyer was complaining bitterly about the damage to his precious BMW. "Officer, look what they've done to my Beemer!" he whined. "You lawyers are so materialistic, you make me sick!" retorted the officer, "You're so worried about your stupid BMW, that you didn't even notice that your left arm was ripped off!" "Oh my god", replied the lawyer, finally noticing the bloody left shoulder where his arm once was, "Where's my Rolex!" - Overheard: Bill Gates talking with one of his financial advisor's... Bill says, "You did what with my 150 million dollars? I said Snapple, not Apple!" ----- TRIVIA ANSWER Why is the wedding ring put on the ring finger of the left hand? The correct answer: A (It is believed a vein from this finger runs right to the heart) The Ancient Egyptians are credited with the origin of the wedding ring. Made from Gold- the most enduring of metals, it was said to confer an unending union on the couple, hence the superstition that a broken wedding ring signals disaster. ==== THE RESOURCE TIP ============================ Ashampoo Privacy Protector 1.04 Ashampoo Privacy Protector gives users maximum security for their sensitive data combined with impressive user-friendliness and speed. Encrypting and decrypting data just takes a few intuitive mouse-clicks. This also applies for this program's ability to burn encrypted files and archives directly to CD. Highlights include maximum data security combined with simple operation; 448-bit encryption with the powerful Blowfish algorithm; encrypting files with just one mouse-click; burning data directly to CD with the integrated CD recording routine; easily creating self-decrypting files and archives containing multiple files or entire directory trees, also on CD; support of an unlimited number of user accounts on one computer; an integrated, full-function file manager for maximum efficiency; and a master administrator account for easy user account management. Download at: http://download.com.com/3000-2092-10209845.html?tag=lst-0-9 best of all it's FREE ==== INSIDE THIS MONTH EXPAT WORLD =============== EXPAT WORLD NEWSLETTER (VOL.15 ISSUE 6) Table of Content: "Your Papers Please" – Big Brother Today Makes “1984” Look Like a Nursery Rhyme Closer to a Cashless Society? Barcoding Human Beings Anonymity and Privacy -- R.I. P. Expat World’s World of Scams Dubai – Now Easy to Get Residency Taxing Matters It Wil be Hard for the IRS to Collar You! The IRS and IBC Sinister Big Brother Expats Safe Again With $80,000 Exemption Tax Structure in Australia Contracting Down Under The Local Scene -- Indonesia Jakarta's New Visa Rule Shoots Itself in the Foot Around the World With Expat World Mexico -- Own a Posada There and Enjoy the Lifestyle Other Foreign Tealestate Investments For Sale -- A Private Mobile Airfield The Armchair Investor Good Free Email Services Sars Warning But Bars Now the Threat A True Story -- Thumps Up YOU MISSING SO MUCH Each week the EXPAT WORLD DIGEST gives you just a smattering of what you can find in the EXPAT WORLD newsletter that we produce once a month. Why not get the whole story and subscribe now to our electronic version for just US $30 per year. 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