Indonesia safety issues
 

Has anyone seen the documentary " the act of killing"? We were planning to visit Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, including bali and decided we'd watch a documentary on Indonesia. What we saw horrified us - the documentary is about the government corruption and brutality. We are no longer sure it is safe to travel to Indonesia. There are also travel advisories suggesting that it may be unsafe to travel there due to terrorist threats.

I haven't hesitated to travel to Indonesia - quite a number of times. It is true that in the past, there have been terrorist bombings in Bali and In Jakarta, and there are bloody episodes in Indonesian history. But we have plenty of bloody episodes in our own history. And the whole point of terrorist attacks is to attack unexpectedly... so far as I know, the whole world is in danger of terrorist attacks. Then, of course, there is the whole issue of violent crime which is far more prevalent in the US than in Indonesia.

You can make films about government corruption and brutality for many countries - including the US.

Go and enjoy this fascinating country.

I personally didn't like Indonesia but wouldn't advice against travelling to the country. If you refrain from travelling to countries where governments are involved in corruption and brutality which countries would you be left with for travel destinations? The most recent terrorist attack that I am aware of were the Boston Marathon bombings, who would have thought that a marathon would have been the target of a terrorist attack. Terrorism can, and does, happen anywhere.

Which advisories are you reading? The US is always alarmist... I took a look at the UK one, and it is pretty specific about the areas to avoid. https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/indonesia

Looks like you might should be more worried about flooding.

Indonesian people are some of the warmest and most welcoming I have encountered anywhere.

Significantly higher odds of you being injured or killed in an accident while driving between your home and the airport than in a terrorist attack.

What Kathie said.

-esme

p.s. I'm writing this to you from Chicago, the Murder Capital of the U.S. If a person didn't question what he read about this city he would think it's extremely dangerous. Truth is, the homicide rate is very bad, but it's limited to a very specific geography, which is easily avoided and no tourist would come close to it.

Some level of risk is inherent in all travel to underdeveloped countries, but everyone needs determine how much risk is acceptable. If you get too far outside your personal comfort zone, then you may not enjoy your holiday.

There is intolerance and corruption in Indonesia as there is in just about every Asian country, but the person who is not being tolerated is seldom the tourist, especially in tourist-centric economies like Bali or Thailand.

The events featured in The Act of Killing took place almost 50 years ago. It is not a current situation.

That Indonesia has suffered terrible terrorist attacks is a fact; however, the chance of a tourist being affected by terrorism -- or godforbid injured -- is very, very low. I would worry more about getting hit by a motorcycle or contacting dengue.

Indonesia is not among the the countries to which the United States warns against traveling. http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p...w/tw_1764.html

Thank you all for allaying some of the concern.

I just got back from a vacation to Indonesia, 9 days on Bali and 7 days on Java. My husband and I traveled independently, with local drivers on each island. And we walked around alone some times, even at night.

I never once felt unsafe or in any kind of danger. Even the poorest taxi drivers were friendly and helpful. Did people sometimes try to get us to pay a higher price for a taxi ride or buying something? Yes. Did they try the art scam on us in Yogyakarta? of course. But they always bargained with humor and after the price was agreed on, we all had smiles on our faces.

Is the Indonesian government corrupt? Probably, but so is the US government. This kind of corruption does not trickle down to the visiting tourist level. Just go, interact with the local people as much as you can, and you'll have a wonderful time.