Murderers wander with machetes at idyllic Philippine prison

Yahoo – AFP, Cecil Morella, 22 June 2014

Inmates from the mininum security compound walk unescorted to their place
 of work at Iwahig prison in Puerto Princesa, Palawan island, June 6, 2014 (AFP
Photo/Ted Aljibe)

Iwahig (Philippines) (AFP) - One hundred convicts armed with machetes wander through a vast prison without walls in one of the Philippines' most beautiful islands, a unique approach to reforming criminals.

Two token guards with shotguns slung on their shoulders relax in the shade nearby as the blue-shirted group of inmates chop weeds at a rice paddy at the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm on Palawan island.

But Arturo, who is 21 years into a life sentence for murder, has no plans to escape, preferring to keep his chances of an eventual commutation or even a pardon.

Prison superintendent Richard

Schwarzkopf (R) along with penal

supervisor Jacinto Regal (2nd R)

 speak with inmates from the minimum

security compound at Iwahig prison in 

Puerto Princesa, Palawan island, June 6,

2014 (AFP Photo/Ted Aljibe)

"I don't want to live the life of a rat, panicked into bolting into a hole each time a policeman comes my way," the 51-year-old inmate, whose full name cannot be used in keeping with prison regulations, told AFP.

Surrounded by a thick coastal mangrove forest, a mountain range and a highway, the 26,000-hectare (64,000-acre) Iwahig jail is one of the world's largest open prisons, more than two times the size of Paris.

A single guard sits at its largely ceremonial main gate, routinely waving visitors through without inspection.

A shallow ditch, but no walls, is all that separates the 3,186 prisoners from the outside world.

A mere 14 kilometres (nine miles) away is Puerto Princesa, a city of 250,000 people and a top tourist destination as the gateway to an island famed for stunning dive sites, a giant underground river system and beautiful beaches.

A steady stream of local and foreign tourists visit Iwahig's quaint, pre-World War II prison administration buildings and a handicrafts shop, which is manned by inmates who have made the items on sale.

A few hundred hectares of the land is devoted to rice paddies, which sit picturesquely on either side of a fire-tree-lined dirt road. Ducks, goats, cattle and egrets feed quietly on newly harvested plots.

Fish ponds, coconut plantations, corn fields and vegetable plots are scattered across the prison, although the bulk of the land remains covered by forest and mangroves.

Penal colony's harsh history

US colonial rulers established Iwahig in 1904 for political prisoners and Manila's worst inmates, seeking to isolate them in what was then a sparsely inhabited frontier about 600 kilometres (370) miles from the nation's capital.

Prisoners were used to clear virgin rainforests for farming, which would in turn encourage migration from the archipelago's more populous areas.

After the Philippines won independence post-World War II, those who had served out their term were also given the option to clear and own up to six hectares of land.

Up until the 1970s, the prisons had much tougher security than today, with chain gangs of inmates the norm.

Prison guards watch as inmates from the

 medium security compound work on a rice

 field at Iwahig prison in Puerto Princesa,

 Palawan island, June 6, 2014 (AFP Photo/

Ted Aljibe)

Most other jails in the Philippines continue with brutal conditions, with inmates packed beyond capacity in dingy, airless cells and having to take turns sleeping.

A fresh breath of reform

But at Iwahig, and four smaller penal farms in other provincial areas, authorities have sought to take advantage of the open spaces to create conditions that encourage the rehabilitation of inmates.

"This (farm work) serves as their preparation for getting back into a free society once they are released. It helps them adapt back to life as free men," said prison superintendent Richard Schwarzkopf.

Iwahig's inmates mostly come from Manila's main Bilibid prison, a far smaller facility that holds about 22,000 convicts and which requires periodic prisoner transfers to ease the over-crowding.

Instead of the squalid, sardine can-like cells of Bilibid, night quarters for most of Iwahig's inmates are lightly guarded buildings that are bigger than a basketball court, surrounded by barbed wire rather than concrete or metal walls.

About 50 lucky minimum-security inmates live full-time in straw-and-bamboo huts scattered along the penal farm, assigned to guard the crops, tractors and other implements.

There are just 150 maximum-security inmates who must work indoors and remain in a more tightly secured environment.

However, murderers and other previous maximum-security prisoners can qualify for the outdoors if they have served at least half their sentence and have a record of good behaviour. A life sentence is regarded as a 40-year term.

Schwarzkopf said the modern approach to penology had been a success. He said less than 10 percent of Iwahig's prisoners became repeat offenders after being released, lower than the national average.

Inmates from the medium security compound work on a rice field at Iwahig

prison in Puerto Princesa, Palawan island, June 6, 2014 (AFP Photo/Ted Aljibe)

The jail has also had no recent history of riots or mass breakouts.

Schwarzkopf said there had been just one breakout since he took over leadership of the prison in 2012: involving four inmates serving terms for murder, attempted murder and car theft.

Three of them were swiftly captured, according to Schwarzkopf, although he declined to say which one of the four remained at large.

Prominent Puerto Princesa lawyer Herminia Caabay said she also regarded Iwahig's "humane" approach to inmates as a success.

"Riots are a sign of depression brought about by prison conditions. These usually happen at places where people are kept behind bars," Caabay said.

Convicted drug dealer Gamay, 39, said he treasured his time working the land as it helped him keep his mind off his wife, who had left him for another man.

"It stops me thinking bad things," said the stocky, tattooed former fish vendor, who began his 30-year sentence in Manila's Bilibid but was transferred to Iwahig seven years ago.

Gamay said living at Iwahig had allowed him to dream and prepare for a successful life back in society.

"The work experience helps you learn to stand on your own two feet... I want to go back to selling fish and save up to build my own house," he said.

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US Presbyterians vote to divest from firms to pressure Israel

Yahoo – AFP, 21 June 2014

Israeli soldiers patrol a street in the West Bank village of Beit Furik,

southeast of Nablus, early on June 20, 2014 (AFP Photo/Jaafar Ashtiyeh)

Washington (AFP) - The nearly 1.9 million member Presbyterian Church USA voted Friday after a contentious debate to divest from three companies that provide supplies to Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank.

The 310 to 303 vote at the influential Protestant denomination's meeting in Detroit, Michigan, means the group will pull any financial investments out of Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard and Motorola Solutions, according to the church's official news service.

Israeli soldiers arrest a young Palestinian

 boy following clashes in the West Bank

 town of Hebron, on June 20, 2014 (AFP

Photo/Thomas Coex)

Assembly moderator Heath Rada emphasized the decision "in no way reflects anything but love for both the Jewish and Palestinian people," the news service said.

The measure also included a reaffirmation of Israel's right to exist, an endorsement of a two-state solution and encouraged interfaith dialogue, The New York Times reported.

It also included a provision to encourage "positive investment" to improve the lives of Israelis and Palestinians, the Times said.

The close vote came after a week of intense lobbying and "most contentious debate of this assembly," the church's news service said, noting that divestment has historically been seen as a "last resort" after "other engagement tools have failed."

In a statement ahead of the vote, Presbyterian Church USA said it was considering divestment in Caterpillar because its responsible investing committee found the company provides the bulldozers "used in the destruction of Palestinian homes, clearing land of structures and fruit and olive tree groves, and in preparation for the construction of the barrier wall."

Hewlett-Packard, it said, "provides electronic systems at checkpoints, logistics and communications systems to support the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, and has business relationships with illegal settlements in the West Bank."

And Motorola Solutions "provides military communications and surveillance systems in the illegal Israeli settlements," the Church added.

HP spokeswoman Kelli Schlegel insisted, however, that "respecting human rights is a core value at HP and is embedded in the way we do business."

The HP systems used at checkpoints help expedite "passage in a secure environment, enabling people to get to their place of work or to carry out their business in a faster and safer way," Schlegel added.

Motorola Solutions emphasized in a statement the "company has a long record of working with customers" throughout the Middle East and "supports all efforts in the region to find a peaceful resolution" to conflict.

The company added it has "a comprehensive set of policies and procedures that addresses human rights, which is designed to ensure that our operations worldwide are conducted using the highest standards of integrity and ethical business conduct applied uniformly and consistently."

Caterpillar did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

At the 2012 General Assembly, Presbyterian USA voted to boycott products made in the Israeli settlements and to "begin positive investments in Palestinian businesses."

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Video: Honoring the Ancestors

Jakara Globe, BeritaSatu World,Jun 19, 2014

A small community in Bondowoso, East Java, has an annual tradition in time with the Islamic month of Sya’ban. The ritual is held to thank God for the harvest and honor their ancestors.

The village of Belimbing in the Klabang subdistrict of East Java’s Bondowoso holds a thanksgiving ritual every year during Sya’ban.

It is called Singo Ulung, combining the Javanese word for lion and part of the name of a village founder Ki Singo.

The ritual begins with several performances, including a lion dance that involves three characters playing the part of white lions.

The dances are followed by the village marching to Nagger, a location considered sacred by the locals.

The villagers carry various offerings with them such as rice, vegetables and fruit.

Before presenting these at Nangger, the village holds a prayer under the leadership of an elder/ to honor the ancestors so that the current leader may continue to protect the village and ensure its prosperity.

Ki Singo is said to have fled Blambangan, on the eastern tip of Java, along with his wife, Nyi Moena, and a friend, Ki Jasinga.

The three decided to settle in Belimbing and cleared the forest there for fields to cultivate crops.

Many others later joined the settlement, and Ki Singo became its first village head — honored to this day.

“We, the villagers of Belimbing, want the village to become even more prosperous in the future and have no obstacles,” Irwan, the village head of ceremonies said. “We are always holding this event in Nangger, an event that is to mark the birth of Belimbing village here.”

Joko, If Elected, Would Remove Religion Status on ID Card

Jakarta Globe, SP/Carlos Paath, Jun 18, 2014

Joko Widodo, if elected president, would remove the status of religion
on identity cars, citing discrimination. (JG Photo/Dhana Kencana)

Jakarta. The campaign team of presidential candidate Joko Widodo said that Joko would remove the designation of religion on the national identity card to prevent discrimination if he were elected president.

“Jokowi has told me that he agreed to do it for people’s welfare,” Musdah Mulia, member of Joko’s campaign team, said, referring to the Jakarta governor by his nickname. Musdah spoke during a discussion about the future of religious freedom and minority groups in Indonesia on Wednesday.

According to Musdah, Joko considered the faith status as leading to discrimination, such as making it easier for a hardline group to conduct a religious sweep during a conflict.

“Another example is on job applications. A job seeker might be rejected just because the religion is different with the boss. It’s discrimination,” Musdah said.

She said that the faith status should only be recorded for the purpose of collecting data on the population and for civil registry.

Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi last year said that if it is considered wrong to include the religion status on the ID card, known as the KTP, then legislators should revise the law.

Gamawan said that there are six religions acknowledged by the state. But there are some Indonesians who are atheists or follow religious beliefs that aren’t among those six.

“It’s OK if you want to increase the number of religions to six or nine as long as it’s stipulated under the law,” Gamawan said.

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SBY Becomes First Indonesian President to Visit Fiji

Jakarta Globe, Ezra Sihite, Jun 17, 2014

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono makes the first visit by a sitting
 Indonesian president to Fiji, in a three-day trip starting on June 17, 2014.
(Reuters Photo/Toru Hanai)

Jakarta. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited Fiji on Tuesday — the first visit by a sitting president of Indonesia to the island nation — in a move to strengthen ties with South Pacific states as well as to clear up diplomatic disagreements over the situation in Papua.

South Pacific countries, and bodies such as the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), an intergovernmental organization made up of Melanesian states, have a history of supporting Independence for Papua and West Papua — issues sure to overshadow Yudhoyono’s visit.

Indonesia’s harsh efforts to suppress Papuan nationalism have met with widespread criticism in the region.

Yudhoyono will attend the second Pacific Islands Development Forum, currently underway in Fiji, where he has been asked to deliver the keynote speech on development programs.

The visit was initiated by the Fiji government in order to strengthen bilateral relations.

“My duty is to increase the partnership with those countries, and we will explain our policy in Papua correctly so that we can reduce any misinformation about Papu,” Yudhoyono told journalists at Halim Perdanakusuma airport in East Jakarta before his departure.

He cited Indonesia’s strong, although rocky at times, relationships over the past decade with Australia, East Timor, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea as evidence that stronger relationships could be developed with Melanesian states.

“They all respect the unity of Indonesia,” he said. “Therefore it is an important matter for geopolitics in the South Pacific and Southwest Pacific.”

Teuku Faizasyah, a member of the president’s special staff for foreign affair, said that Fiji was an important country in the South Pacific for Indonesia, as highlighted by the visit.

Yudhoyono ends his second five-year term in office in October.

The president is scheduled to have a private meeting with Fiji President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau and a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Voreqe Josaia Bainimarama. The two countries were set to discus collaboration in the arenas of culture, governance, maritime issues, regional and international affairs, and sports.

First Lady Ani Yudhoyono and several cabinet ministers were set to accompany the president for a three-day visit.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono meets Fijian President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau

in the Sheraton Hotel, Fiji, on June 18, 2014. (Twitter Photo/@SBYudhoyono)

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Farmers’ Association Endorses Jokowi at Monday Gathering

Jakarta Globe, Arman Dzidzovic & Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Jun 16, 2014

Members of the Indonesian Farmers’ Association wait for presidential candidate
Joko Widodo to arrive at Balai Kartini in South Jakarta on Monday. (JG Photo/
Arman Dzidzovic)

Jakarta. Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) presidential candidate Joko Widodo accepted the endorsement of the Indonesian Farmers’ Association (HKTI) on Monday at the organization’s anniversary celebration at Balai Kartini convention center in South Jakarta, despite Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party candidate Prabowo Subianto’s longtime association with the group.

“We decided after the presidential debate last night that the people who are able to lead Indonesia and who will listen to the people are Jokowi and JK,” HKTI secretary general Benny Pasaribu said, referring to Joko by his nickname and running mate Jusuf Kalla by his initials.

The endorsement came as a surprise to some: Prabowo was the chairman of the HKTI from 2004 through 2009, and has continued to refer to himself as such, including on the paperwork he submitted to the General Election Commission (KPU) last month formalizing his candidacy.

“We will say this to Prabowo Subianto: claiming to be the chairman of HKTI is unethical and wrong, as it can create a restive environment and uneasy atmosphere among HKTI committee and members,” Benny said.

Monday night’s debate, which focused on the economy and social welfare, saw Prabowo quick to mention the role of agriculture in job creation and economic development. He argued for ethanol subsidies — a policy he has long supported — and claimed that each hectare of Indonesian farmland could support up to six jobs.

A member of the Indonesian Farmers’ Association displays her support for the
 organization on her traditional paddy hat at Balai Kartini on Monday. (JG Photo/
Arman Dzidzovic)

Joko also emphasized agriculture, and he argued that an increase in government appropriations flowing directly to villages would provide concrete benefits for farmers, but his responses centered more on empowering small enterprises to compete globally.

Nonetheless, his approach inspired the confidence of the country’s largest farm association.

“The person who honestly defends the lives of farmers is Jokowi,” HKTI chairman Oesman Sapta said.

Thousand of HKTI members were bussed into the capital for the celebration, showing overwhelming support for the popular Jakarta governor, although Prabowo was also in attendance.

Hundreds were wearing red “Jokowi-Jusuf Kalla” shirts with “HKTI” emblazoned below, despite Benny’ claim that the decision to endorse the candidate had not been reached until Sunday night.

A bus parked outside the building, decked out with cardboard cutouts of Joko, blasted the candidate’s campaign songs, but some attendees said the celebration was about more than just the upcoming election.

“We came here to sing songs and celebrate Indonesian farmers,” music teacher and HKTI organizer Gerry Gustaman said. “It has nothing to do with politics.”

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Indonesian Clothing Firms Cash In on Football Mania

Jakarta Globe, Harso Kurniawan, Jun 15, 2014

Shoppers browse for counterfeit jerseys of the national teams competing
 at the World Cup in Brazil, at a bazaar in Semarang, Central Java. Indonesia
exported $525 million worth of the genuine apparel. (JG Photo/Dhana Kencana)

Jakarta. Football fever will outshine electoral excitement as a fillip to apparel sales, the Indonesia Textile Association chairman predicted over the weekend.

Ade Sudrajad said the association estimated supporter outfits for the 2014 World Cup would add 15 percent to Indonesia’s clothing exports, bringing to $3.5 billion sales over the first six months of this year.

Those $525 million worth of jerseys and jackets would boost overall textile product exports to $13.5 billion, he said.

Sales have also been driven by the demand for T-shirts and other campaign clothing for legislative and presidential elections, Ade said. However since that demand is confined to the local market, Ade said domestic sales were estimated to rise by a little less, to $7.5 billion this year from $7 billion last year.

“The effects of the elections [for sales] was stronger during the 2009 election, but [this year] was not bad. At least, it helped boost demand,” he said.

Last year Indonesia exported textile products worth $12.6 billion. Of that figure 58 percent was contributed by garments, 19 percent by threads, 14 percent by fabrics, and the remaining from other fiber products.

“Export of textile products to May was quite good. There was a rise of around $500 million to $4.8 billion [compared to the period from January-May last year]. One of the boosters is indeed the World Cup,” said Ade.

He said orders for jerseys were flooding in to big textile companies in Indonesia and companies had boosted production to match the demand.

Ade said the main export markets for jerseys made in Indonesia were Europe and Latin America, “because football is very popular in those two regions.”

He said Indonesia was able to benefit from the world’s biggest football tournament as the country is one of the production centers for giant apparel brands such as Nike and Adidas, which produce jerseys for World Cup teams and their supporters.

“Those two brands have ordered jackets and jerseys for men, women and children. This will advantage the local textile companies that have business contracts with them,” he said.

However, Ade said, government policies prevented Indonesia’s textile sector from reaping a bigger World Cup bonanza. Indonesia should have had the capacity to boost textile exports by $1 billion in the first half of this year, beating global competitors such as Vietnam, where production costs are considered lower than in Indonesia.

“There are many constraints for textile companies to boost production, of which most are created by the government. For example, the higher electricity rates announced recently. It will erode the competitiveness of our textile industry,” he said.

With the downstream part of the sector receiving higher demand, the upstream part of the industry was also stimulated, Ade said. There has been a sharp increase in demand for synthetic polyesters to support apparel production. Polyester is used to make threads, for which demand has also increased.

Ade estimated this year’s synthetic polyester production would rise 19.7 percent to 700,000 tons. Last year Indonesia produced 585,000 tons of the polymer.

Overwhelming demand for textile products, according to Ade, forced spinning and weaving companies to import a proportion of fabric and thread to meet a shortfall in domestic production.

Anne Patricia Sutanto, president director at listed textile company Pan Brothers, confirmed the higher demand, saying heavier orders had been experienced since last year.

Pan Brothers, which produces various textile products including cut and sewn knit garments, polo shirts, woven garments and lightweight jackets and pants, booked an 18.5 percent rise in sales to $339 million last year.

Pan’s net income rose more than 50 percent to $10.4 million in 2013.

Anne said last year’s production volume reached 42 million pieces. “From those figures, there were special allocations for the World Cup,” she said.

She said the company had exported World Cup jackets to the United States, Europe and Asia.

Pan Brothers is the biggest listed garment company on the Indonesia Stock Exchange by market capitalization. It regularly receives orders from global apparel makers like Adidas, Nike, Spyder, Lacoste, Nautica and Calvin Klein Jeans. Anne said the textile sector was well placed to boost Indonesia’s economy. Textile products, she said, currently contribute around 10.7 percent to Indonesia’s non-oil-and-gas exports.

The Indonesia Textile Association once released an estimate that Indonesia could boost its market share in the world’s textile market to 5 percent by 2030. Indonesia’s share is now estimated at around 1.8 percent. By that reckoning, textile exports from Indonesia would reach a value of around $75 billion by 2030.

Ade previously said that Indonesia should be more active in participating in global trade deals such as the Trans Pacific Partnership. He said any deals that include Indonesia would help boost exports to the United States.

The Indonesian government has been reluctant to participate in the TPP for fears the pact would not benefit Indonesia as long as domestic industry competitiveness remains weak.

Experience Colonial Ethnic Opulence at The Hermitage

Jakarta Globe, Sylviana Hamdani, Jun 15, 2014

Nestled in the quiet elegance of Menteng, Central Jakarta, The Hermitage
invites guests to visit the past. (Photo courtesy of Arselan Ganin)

Since colonial times, Menteng has always represented the exclusive, “old money” face of Jakarta, with it’s traditional yet upscale homes.

The leafy neighborhood, which is dotted with age-old trees and colonial government buildings, has always been the abode of the capital’s rich and famous.

Among the area’s historical structures was Telefoongebouw, a Dutch colonial telecommunication company, which occupied the two-storey mansion on Jl. Cilacap. The building, which was originally erected in 1923, changed hands after Indonesia’s independence to house the country’s ministry of education and culture, before it became a campus of the Universitas Bung Karno.

The 91-year-old building has recently undergone another major transformation to become The Hermitage, Jakarta’s newest luxury hotel.

 “We realize the provincial government is now working hard to revitalize old buildings in Jakarta,” said Heri Wijaya, commissioner of the hotel’s operator, Menteng Heritage Realty.

 “That’s why, in the same spirit, we support the government’s program by restoring this old building to its prime condition … to attract tourists from all over the world,” said the commissioner.

The five-star hotel was officially opened by Jakarta’s acting governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, earlier this month.

“We’re so happy, because there are many heritage buildings in Jakarta that are left to ruin, before [the owners] tear it down and build something completely new,” Basuki said. “In fact, if we can [renovate and restore] one old building every year, Jakarta would be a wonderful city to visit and live in.”

Renovations

Jakarta-based firm KIAT Architects was assigned to restore the old building to its former glory, a process that took roughly two and a half years.

“The building was entirely restored [to its original condition],” said Eleonore Astier-Petin, general manager of The Hermitage. “We actually kept a lot of the original marble floors, all of the window fittings, doors and architectural details.”

The designers also built a new nine-storey building next to the former Dutch telephone company office and managed to seamlessly connect the two to form a unique architectural blend of old and new.

“They’ve made the new building as similar as possible to the old building,” said Putri Pratiwi, the hotel’s marketing and communications officer. “We can’t even tell where the old building ends and where the new one starts.”

Although the hotel is not very large, its interior was carefully designed to convey a homey ambiance, courtesy of high-profile architect and designer Thomas Eliott.

Yellowing old pictures of Jakarta line its cream-colored walls; Chinese vases and jars of various colors and sizes highlight almost every corner of the room. In the lobby, a large 200-year-old china vase from the Sultanate of Cirebon, West Java, stands proudly as a centerpiece.

Rooms

The hotel offers 90 rooms in six different categories, each boasting quaint “colonial ethnic” decor that will make visitors feel like they have stepped back in time.

Hand-dyed batik by Indonesian textile designer, Josephine Komara, adorn the accommodations, which are also equipped with modern amenities and facilities, such as 40-inch LED HD TV, satellite channels, electronic safe and Illy coffee machines.

The superior, deluxe and executive rooms offer luxurious bath amenities by Italian fashion house Etro, while the suites provide amenities by French luxury brand Hermes.

The two presidential suites have a distinctive elegant decor: the floors and walls of the Diplomat Room are paneled with dark wood and exude an aura of power, while the Batavia Room offers a lighter ambience with its whitewashed walls and minimalist decor.

Facilities

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served in the hotel’s ethno-brasserie restaurant L’Avenue, which offers French cuisine infused with Indonesian ingredients and spices. Large windows throw soft natural light onto the restaurant’s taupe walls feature pictures of Jakarta in the 1920s.

The restaurant’s private dining room boasts a life-sized painting of Nyai Dasima, a character of the famous Indonesian silent movie from 1929, standing and facing the diners as if she is entertaining the guests herself.

Adjacent from L’Avenue is the Hermitage Lounge, which offers premium wines, spirits and cocktails. The room exudes a strong masculine aura, with floors that boast the original tegel kunci (key-patterned tiles) from colonial times. Its walls are adorned with paintings of Nyai Dasima in various alluring poses that urge guests to linger on the lounge’s plush sofas and armchairs.

The cigar lounge at the far end of the Hermitage Lounge is designed to resemble a library, with antique bookshelves featuring old encyclopedias, history books and short-stories compilations by French writer Guy de Maupassant.

Pictures of famous newsmakers from all over the world smoking cigars, including former president Soeharto and legendary American president John F. Kennedy, complete the historical ambiance.

The hotel’s swimming pool and gym are located on the ninth floor rooftop, where guests can also climb up a wooden flight of stairs towards the observation deck. Chairs and sofas invite visitors to sit back and enjoy a romantic, 360-degree view of the Menteng area.

Len Dong: an ancient shaman dance for modern Vietnam?

Yahoo – AFP, Tran Thi Minh Ha, 13 June 2014

A "Len Dong" dancer performs with candles at a local temple in Hanoi

on March 25, 2014 (AFP Photo/Hoang Dinh Nam)

Hanoi (AFP) - The Vietnamese spirit medium dances in a trance, attacking invisible enemies with a sword as drums beat, musicians chant, and dozens of curious onlookers watch in amazement.

Civil servant by day and practitioner of traditional spiritual possession rituals when the mood takes her, Nguyen Thi Hoa is clad in a richly embroidered red robe as she performs a Len Dong ceremony at a private Hanoi temple.

"I have no idea what I've been doing," Hoa told AFP after the five-hour performance, which involved at least 15 costume changes.

A "Len Dong" dancer performs as attendees

 watch at a local temple in Hanoi on March

25, 2014 (AFP Photo/Hoang Dinh Nam)

"I could not believe I had smoked like a chimney and drunk like a fish," the normally teetotal 52-year-old said.

"Could you tell me what I told you to do?" Hoa, who is not a professional Len Dong shaman and only undertakes the rituals when the spirits move her, asked friends who had watched the entire performance.

Len Dong, which uses musical invocations to lure spirits to possess mediums and communicate with others, has been performed in Vietnam for centuries.

Practitioners and attendees -- people can donate to help cover the costs of a Len Dong performance without having to directly participate -- usually turn to the ancient ritual to ease stress or hoping for help from the spirits with romantic or professional problems.

For decades, Len Dong was restricted by French colonial and Vietnamese communist leaders, but the tradition is enjoying a flurry of popularity since restrictions were relaxed a decade or so ago -- and some say it is a useful vent for stressed citizens.

Old cure for new ills?

Six years ago, Hoa began suffering from insomnia, lack of appetite and tiredness. Conventional doctors could not rid her of her ills.

A "Len Dong" dancer performs as

attendees watch at a local temple in

Hanoi on March 25, 2014 (AFP Photo/

Hoang Dinh Nam)

On the advice of a friend, she visited a Len Dong practitioner, who told her to try performing the spirit possession ritual herself.

"To my surprise, my health started improving at once," she said, adding that she started seeing positive changes at work as well.

Len Dong is an ancient Vietnamese custom which involves "calling the spirits of the dead into the bodies of the living to connect past and present," one of the main research books on the topic says.

Musicians play traditional songs to help the shaman enter a trance. Multiple assistants help the shaman to change costumes or prepare offerings -- from chickens to "ChocoPie" snack cakes -- for the altar.

During the ceremony -- an auspicious date for the event is carefully picked in advance by the shaman -- the practitioner will seemingly drift in and out of a trance, singing, chanting and dancing to the minimalist, rhythmic music.

"It's not just the insane dancing of people who have lost their dignity," said cultural researcher Ngo Duc Thinh.

The practise of Len Dong can help people under intense stress or suffering from low-level psychological disorders, Thinh, a renowned professor of Vietnamese culture at a top state research institute, said.

"They practice Len Dong to rid themselves of their problems and return to their normal life," the professor, who has spent more than three decades studying Len Dong, told AFP.

A "Len Dong" dancer performs with

 incense sticks at a local temple in

Hanoi on March 25, 2014 (AFP

Photo/Hoang Dinh Nam)

"As society develops, spiritual pressures multiply. Stress becomes more serious -- and this creates more chances for Len Dong," according to Thinh.

Social stigma

Hoa practices Len Dong at least twice a year.

"I don't dare tell my mother as she would say I was crazy," said the bureaucrat, who spends around 40 million dong (nearly $2,000) to put on each performance.

Her work colleagues, mostly communist party members, are also not aware of her Len Dong practice -- the ritual has at times been considered heresy, and was totally banned until the 1980s by the communists, although rituals continued in secret.

"I received several warnings from police, asking me to stop my practice," said a professional Len Dong practitioner, speaking on condition of anonymity about that period of time.

Even now, practicing Len Dong can carry a government fine of around $250 which aims to prevent private for-profit practitioners rather than genuine Len Dong devotees like Hoa.

"The government tried to ban it, but they in fact have failed. It's impossible to ban Len Dong," researcher Thinh said.

Votive paper horses, used as offerings,

 are placed outside a Hanoi temple while a

 "Len Dong" dancer performs on March 25,

2014 (AFP Photo/Hoang Dinh Nam)

But it might be necessary to regulate it, some experts say.

Len Dong practitioners usually offer their services at temples between Vietnam's lunar new year -- usually around late January -- to the end of the third lunar month in April.

Since restrictions on the practice were lifted, business is booming and some newly wealthy Vietnamese are willing to pay up to $50,000 for a Len Dong service.

The trouble is, it is hard for people to tell the difference between genuine Len Dong practitioners and con artists.

"Several practitioners, who have only some ability, have used that to cheat people for money," one practitioner told AFP.

"That makes people confused -- they can't differentiate between real and fake Len Dong."

Tai chi practitioners in Yunyang, Chongqing. (File
photo/Xinhua)

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"Soul Communication" - Feb 22-23, 2014 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Text version Part 1, Text version Part 2)

“…  Spiritual Survival

Let me take you back a bit. How many lifetimes have you slogged through old energy? Slogged through it? You picked yourself up and the old energy of the planet knocked you back. This is a metaphor of the old soul awakening to the realization of divine purpose for itself and the planet, only to be ignored, or worse, to be "found out" and then feared.

Old soul, it seemed that you just get started on a spiritual path and it kills you. You come back again and then you're enlisted in a war and it kills you again. You come back, you awaken; you become even shamanic, and it kills you for being enlightened. How many lifetimes has it been where all you can do is hold your own and try to survive in a world of very old, dark thinking? Survival becomes a word that means something completely different to the old soul. High consciousness in an old energy is like a square peg in a round hole, and this is what the old soul is used to.

Dear ones, this is ending - all of it - and this was the prophecy of the indigenous of the planet for this time. Here you are, ready for it. But the planet is not going to suddenly become higher in consciousness, dear ones. Instead, the systems around you and the energy around you are going to start getting easier, making it far easier to survive for those like you. There will be far less resistance and more openness of many people than ever before. This is the beginning of a very slow shift.

This also means that it's going to be easier for you to balance. We've used this "balance" word over and over. Many times, those in esoteric belief systems go into certain Human life categories because it's pure survival. It's easy for you to be a hermit, speaking even to my partner. If you don't have to show your light, it's easier. In the past if you showed your light, you were hunted! You understand what I'm saying, don't you? For when you open the door and the light spills out, everybody looks at you because you are different. What's wrong with this picture? In the past, it has meant your demise. This is what is changing. But it's hard to forget it. …”