Indonesia executes six drug convicts, five of them foreigners

Indonesia executes six drug convicts, five of them foreigners
Widodo has pledged to bring reform to Indonesia

Ban appeals to Indonesia to stop death row executions

Ban appeals to Indonesia to stop death row executions
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has pleaded to Indonesia to stop the execution of prisoners on death row for drug crimes. AFP PHOTO

Pope: 'Death penalty represents failure' – no 'humane' way to kill a person

Pope: 'Death penalty represents failure' – no 'humane' way to kill a person
The pope wrote that the principle of legitimate personal defense isn’t adequate justification to execute someone. Photograph: Zuma/Rex

Obama becomes first president to visit US prison (US Justice Systems / Human Rights)

Obama becomes first president to visit US prison   (US Justice Systems / Human Rights)
US President Barack Obama speaks as he tours the El Reno Federal Correctional Institution in El Reno, Oklahoma, July 16, 2015 (AFP Photo/Saul Loeb)

US Death Penalty (Justice Systems / Human Rights)

US Death Penalty (Justice Systems / Human Rights)
Woman who spent 23 years on US death row cleared (Photo: dpa)



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"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

… The Shift in Human Nature

You're starting to see integrity change. Awareness recalibrates integrity, and the Human Being who would sit there and take advantage of another Human Being in an old energy would never do it in a new energy. The reason? It will become intuitive, so this is a shift in Human Nature as well, for in the past you have assumed that people take advantage of people first and integrity comes later. That's just ordinary Human nature.

In the past, Human nature expressed within governments worked like this: If you were stronger than the other one, you simply conquered them. If you were strong, it was an invitation to conquer. If you were weak, it was an invitation to be conquered. No one even thought about it. It was the way of things. The bigger you could have your armies, the better they would do when you sent them out to conquer. That's not how you think today. Did you notice?

Any country that thinks this way today will not survive, for humanity has discovered that the world goes far better by putting things together instead of tearing them apart. The new energy puts the weak and strong together in ways that make sense and that have integrity. Take a look at what happened to some of the businesses in this great land (USA). Up to 30 years ago, when you started realizing some of them didn't have integrity, you eliminated them. What happened to the tobacco companies when you realized they were knowingly addicting your children? Today, they still sell their products to less-aware countries, but that will also change.

What did you do a few years ago when you realized that your bankers were actually selling you homes that they knew you couldn't pay for later? They were walking away, smiling greedily, not thinking about the heartbreak that was to follow when a life's dream would be lost. Dear American, you are in a recession. However, this is like when you prune a tree and cut back the branches. When the tree grows back, you've got control and the branches will grow bigger and stronger than they were before, without the greed factor. Then, if you don't like the way it grows back, you'll prune it again! I tell you this because awareness is now in control of big money. It's right before your eyes, what you're doing. But fear often rules. …

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Granny bites elite force member

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 10/31/2010 1:34 PM

Officers and gentlemen: Army special force (Koppasus) personnel distribute humanitarian aid to people displaced by Mt. Merapi eruption in Kepuharjo refugee center in the Yogyakarta regency of Sleman. Over 15,000 people have sough refuge until Sunday. – Antara/Wahyu Putro

Army special force (Kopassus) soldiers have to undergo taugh training to master combat skills, but they may have never been taught how to persuade senior citizens to leave their homes during a forced evacuation.

Second Sgt. Dwi Andi, a member of the elite force, not only failed to pass the complicated test, but also had his arm bitten by grandma Widi as he was carrying her down the foot of Mt. Merapi in Yogyakarta during the mass evacuation on Saturday.

“She resisted the evacuation and insisted on staying at home with her cattle. But for the sake of her safety, I carried her on my back. She kept fighting and bit my arm,” Dwi told was quoted by kompas.com.

Kopassus soldiers were deployed to evacuate residents of Palem Sari hamlet in Cangkringan district after Mt. Merapi unleashed its biggest explosion on Saturday.

“I had persuaded her, but she refused to be evacuated. Therefore I had to use force,” Dwi recalled.

The soldier took the old woman to Umbulharjo village administration office before admitting her to Panti Nugroho Hospital for medical treatment. The old woman was among the last villagers to be evacuated due to a blackout.

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Undeterred: A woman carries a stack of wood to a market in Kalibening village in Magelang, Central Java, with Mount Merapi smoking in the background. Residents of villages near the volcano continued with their daily routines despite warnings that the volcano may be on the verge of its deadliest eruption in years. (JP - Antara/Hari Atmoko)

Batik Parade

The Jakarta Post | Sun, 10/31/2010 3:21 PM | Jakarta

Batik parade: About 7,500 participants join a Batik Indonesia march from the National Monument to Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta on Sunday. They paraded a batik cloth stretching about 408 meters. – Antara/Rosa Panggabean

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Rest in peace

The Jakarta Post, The Associated Press, Yogyakarta | Thu, 10/28/2010

Relatives pray in the grave for the victims of Mount Merapi eruption during a mass burial in Umbulharjo, Yogyakarta, on Thursday. AP/Irwin Fedriansyah

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Wednesday, October 27, 2010

No special funeral for Mbah Maridjan: Sultan

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 10/27/2010 7:39 PM


Mount Merapi is seen as sacred in the region


Yogyakarta Governor and Sultan of Yogyakarta Hamengkubuwono X said Wednesday there would not be a special funeral for Mbah Maridjan, who died after refusing to abandon his ceremonial post as caretaker of Mount Merapi’s spirits.

Mbah Maridjan
“There are no special funerals for the Sultanate’s servants. His body has been retrieved by his family and will be buried with the other victims [of the eruption],” Hamengkubuwono said as quoted by Antara news agency.

Maridjan, 83, had been entrusted by the highly respected late Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX to watch over the volcano's spirits. For years he led ceremonies in which rice and flowers were thrown into the crater to appease its spirits. Maridjan had angered officials in the past by refusing to evacuate during Merapi’s eruptions.

“[His refusal to evacuate] was because of his responsibility as caretaker of Mount Merapi,” Hamengkubuwono said.

Maridjan was among 31 people killed by hot ash spewed by Merapi on Tuesday in Umbulharjo village, Sleman, which is located 4 kilometers from the volcano.

Famous for his convictions about his position, Maridjan was reportedly found in a praying position, kneeling facedown on the floor.


A large crowd of people attended the funeral of Maridjan, Merapi's spiritual keeper


A motorcycle lies covered by volcanic ash at a village that is hit by pyroclastic flows from Mount Merapi eruption in Kaliadem, Yogyakarta, on Wednesday. A volcanic eruption and a tsunami killed scores of people hundreds of miles apart in Indonesia, spasms from the Pacific "Ring of Fire," which spawns disasters from deep within the Earth. AP/Slamet Riyadi

Unfaithful nations will be cursed: Tifatul

Hans David Tampubolon, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 10/26/2010

Indonesia’s twitter users were once again shocked by another statement from Information and Communication Minister Tifatul Sembiring, who said that adulterous nations unfaithful to God will receive “Godly condemnation”.

Tifatul, who represents the Islamic-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) in President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s cabinet, said in a statement on one of his tweets Tuesday “if they deny Our verses, then we will curse them for whatever (sins) they commit”.

Numerous twitter users condemned Tifatul for his statement, saying it was improper in the midst of two almost simultaneous natural disasters - a tsunami in Mentawai and a volcanic eruption in Central Java .

This was not the first time Tifatul's tweets caused widespread controversy and public derision.

“The government should ease chaos, not add more controversy, especially when it comes to religion,” twitter user Dian Paramita told The Jakarta Post. Mario Hadiwono added that Tifatul had shown his lack of empathy towards the disaster victims.

However, not all twitter users opposed Tifatul. One commentator said Tifatul was only giving warning to the Indonesian people and did not specifically say that Mentawai residents were unfaithful.

In his later tweets, Tifatul also talked about institutions people could go to if they wanted to help the disaster victims.

House of Representatives Speaker Marzuki Ali has been criticized after he said tsunami’s were a “risk for people who live beside the ocean” and that people who lived on islands should be relocated. (Antara Photo)

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Leaders urged to introspect after a series of disasters

Hundreds of students of elementary school perform a prayer for the victims of earthquake-triggered tsunami in Mentawai Islands of West Sumatra and Mt. Merapi eruption, at Sabilillah Mosque in Malang, East Java, on Thursday. Antara/Ari Bowo Sucipto

Monday, October 25, 2010

American Held Over Rare Fossils Theft

Jakarta Globe, Nurfika Osman | October 24, 2010

Jakarta. Central Java Police have arrested a US citizen for allegedly attempting to smuggle hundreds of prehistoric fossils out of the country.

Dennis Bradley Davis, 52, was arrested in Sragen with 43 different types of fossils packed in boxes and gunny sacks.

The items, reportedly dug up at the World Heritage Sangiran excavation site, ranged in age from 700,000 to one million years, police said.

“We’ve sent Interpol a red notice about Davis for trying to sell the fossils from Sangiran to, we suspect, the United States,” Sr. Comr. Jihartono, a Central Java Police spokesman, told the Jakarta Globe on Sunday.

“We’re investigating this case seriously because it pertains to priceless cultural heritage. We’re also going to be transparent in our investigation.”

He said Davis had bought the fossils, worth an estimated $2 million, for just Rp 58 million ($6,5000) from Wasimin, 50, a digger at Sangiran.

The two were arrested with the goods in a truck, along with the driver, Aris Nugroho, while on their way from Sragen to Bali.

Jihartono said Davis had previously bought similar items from Wasimin for Rp 13 million.

He also said Davis had claimed to be a scientist, but it was unclear which institution he worked at.

“We’re still digging up more information and conducting a thorough investigation,” he said, adding that Davis was in the country on a tourist visa.

“People in Sragen were suspicious about his activities over the past few months.”

The three suspects will be charged under the 1992 Cultural Heritage Law, for which they could face up to 10 years in prison and Rp 100 million in fines.

The recovered fossils include mammoth and stegodon tusks, buffalo horns, crocodile jawbones and teeth and bones from various prehistoric animals.

The Sangiran excavation site is best known for its wealth of hominid fossils, with 60 already discovered there, including several of Homo erectus.

The area was named a World Heritage Site in 1996 by Unesco.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

China sends prominent performers to Indonesia

English.news.cn   2010-10-24

JAKARTA, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese ensemble group from People's Liberation Army (PLA) began cruise show on Saturday in the Indonesia capital of Jakarta.

The performance joined by award-winning artists is part of jubilation to commemorate 60 years of China-Indonesia diplomatic relations and "The year of Friendship" between the two countries.

Besides Jakarta, the ensemble group of more than 60 song and dance performers is scheduled to hold concert in South Sumatra's capital city of Palembang on Oct. 25 and in East Java's capital city of Surabaya on Oct. 27.

During their initial show, three singers sang Indonesian song, which were loudly applauded by viewers.

Editor: Zhang Xiang

Saturday, October 23, 2010

President to visit China

Antara News, Saturday, October 23, 2010 18:53 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is scheduled to pay a working visit to China on October 25-26, 2010.

A press statement from the office of the president`s special staff said here on Saturday that the head of state who, during the visit would be accompanied by Mrs Ani Yudhyono, will visit Shanghai to observe the Shanghai World Expot 2010.

The president will visit the Indonesian Pavilion in the expo which has been displaying Indonesia`s natural resources and cultural heritage.

Since the opening of the World Expo Shanghai on May 1, 2010, the Indonesian Pavilion has been visited by 7.5 million visitors, or about 10 percent of the total visitors to the Chinese expo.

The visit to China will take place by the head of state attends theh 17th ASEAN summit in Hanoi, Vietnam on October 27-30, 2010.

At the ASEAN summit Indonesia will receive the ASEAN chairmanship from Vietnam which has been rotated to the ASEAN members.

The President will return to Indonesia on October 31, 2010.


Related Article:

Friday, October 22, 2010

RI issues law on discrimination of women

Antara News, Friday, October 22, 2010

Yogyakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government has issued a law on convention of abolishing discrimination of women and girls (CEDAW), chairwoman of the Indonesian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development Sri Utari Setyawati said.

"This law and the law on violence in households, the law on eradication of people`s trade, and the law on marriage," are discussed at an international parliamentary workshop on women in Yogyakarta on Thursday.

She said all these laws need to be reminded of by the policy makers to see whether these laws are still carried out effectively.

In the marriage law, for instance, there is an article which needs to be revised, namely girls must be at least 16 years of age to get married.

"However, mentally and spiritually, 16 years are not yet ideal, and needs to be raised to 18 years, but then it will become a subject of controversy, because according to Islam 17 years is quite adequate to enter matrimony," she said.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Indonesia Prosecutor Seeks Jail for Cleric who Married Child Bride

Jakarta Globe, October 21, 2010

Ungaran, Indonesia. Indonesian prosecutors on Thursday demanded a wealthy Muslim cleric who took a 12-year-old girl as his unofficial wife be convicted of sexually abusing a child and given six years in prison.

Indonesian prosecutors are demanding a six-year prison
sentence for Muslim cleric Pujiono Cahyo Widiyanto, 45,
pictured, for sexually abusing a child after he took a
12-year-old girl as his unofficial wife. (Antara Photo)
Pujiono Cahyo Widiyanto, 45, from the Central Java city of Semarang, sparked nationwide controversy over his decision to marry poor village girl Lutfiana Ulfa.

“We recommend six years prison for him. He has been proven legally as being sexually abusive towards women, especially towards this underage person,” prosecutor Suningsih, who goes by one name, said.

“As the owner of a religious school he doesn’t set a good example” she said.

Widiyanto, also known as Sheikh Puji, married Ulfa in August 2008.

He had defended the unofficial marriage, his second, saying that the girl had reached puberty.

Widiyanto previously said his actions were acceptable under Islam but critics said he should abide by state law, which sets 16 as the minimum age for marriage.

Indonesian law has harsh penalties for pedophilia, but unregistered and therefore unofficial marriages between older men and under-age girls are common in rural areas.

Agence France-Presse

Related Article:

National Agrarian Day

The Jakarta Post, Antara, Bogor, West Java | Thu, 10/21/2010 11:30 AM

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (fourth right) accompanied by First Lady Ani Yudhoyono (third right) walk to a venue to celebrate the 50th National Agrarian Day at Bogor Palace in West Java, on Thursday. Antara/Widodo S. Jusuf

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RI press gets hardest ever presidential reprimand

Antara News, By Vicki Febrianto, Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian press was given the hardest reprimand ever by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

"The president has often talked about the press and its role. But this time, I think, this is the hardest ever reprimand from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to the press because he has used such words," said Wina Armada, member of the Press Council on Wednesday.

Wina was referring to the statement by President Yudhoyono in a radio interview earlier in the day where he asked the media in Indonesia to convey balanced information to the public on both the successes and failures of his government so as not to confuse the people.

"If the government is said to be all failed, bad and should withdraw, as if there nothing was good, this is a poison. On the other way, if the government is always reported all that good, this is not good either," President Yudhoyono told a private radio station in Jakarta, on Wednesday.

The government will accept whatever criticism the public voices , the president said, as long as the press reports were balanced. This influence the government to take actions on improving the results that have not been reached, he pointed out.

In response to a question on what he thought about the critiques on his government through mass media and the press, Yudhoyono stressed that such a thing was quite normal and had been faced by all the governments before his, from Soekarno to Megawati Soekarnoputri.

"What is important for political education, the truth is conveyed in a balanced manner, if it is good, say so and what is not yet good, say it is not yet good. This way will enable the real truth in this country," the President said, adding that the press could adjust the situation by internally.

The Indonesian president made the radio remarks on the first anniversary of his second term in power, as he was reelected to second term through a landslide victory in election last year and taken his oath of office on October 20, 2010. Some elements of public in Jakarta have been critical of his government, saying that there had been nothing good during his first year in power.

Ethical press

According to Wina, the press had currently been working in accordance with the content of Chapter 1 of the Press Code of Ethics, namely on the principles of accuracy, balanced reportage and without malice. News on the President has basically be proportional, said Wina, former secretary general of the Indonesia Journalists Association (PWI).

"I think the President has somehow enjoyed the benefits from the reports on him that disseminated by the press, especially during the last presidential election and even in the previous election," Wina pointed out.

He admitted that there have been those who were pro and against the government among the press circle but they also remained on the track of good ethical code. Thus, should the current freedom of the press is considered already excessive, this idea is incorrect because Indonesia rank of press freedom has somewhat declined.

Confusion among the public, he added, has not been caused by news from the press but more from the policies of the government itself. Despite the fact, the public nowadays has already been smart and will not easily believe in unethical or malicious news.

Wina revealed that a meeting between the President and the Press Council was actually scheduled to take place on Wednesday (October 20) but then dropped because (the President) was said to have another more urgent work to do. Should the meeting have taken place, then it must have been quite a good momentum for the President and the Council to talk.

Freedom index

Global journalists association, Reporters Sans Frontiers, in its annual report on world press freedom index for 2010 indicates that Indonesia had dropped from 101 in 2009 to 117 with freedom score of 35.83. This is the lowest position Indonesia has been, especially when compared with the rank of around 50 in 2002-2005.

The Indonesian press even is lower in press freedom than small countries such as Timor Leste (94), Mauritania (95) and Kuwait (86). Even Indonesia is still under African countries, Kenya (74), Nigeria (106) and Djibouti (110).

The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), an Indonesian independent journalists association, in a report last August says that from August 2009 to August 2010, it documented 40 cases of violence against journalists. Compared to last year`s 38 cases, it is clear this year shows an increase in the number of cases.

Threat and intimidation are rampant in Indonesian journalism. This year, there are 8 cases of threat and intimidation. Threat is commonly expressed by mass organization (3 cases), politician and unknown individuals (both 2 cases). One case is conducted by crowd.

Reporting prohibition or censorship occur 6 times, all are done by local government officials including personnel from local hospitals.

Legal repression in terms of criminalization or defamation civil suit, or witness subpoena occur 5 times. Perpetrators are members of the police (3 cases), politician and private citizen (one case each). Confiscation of equipment occurs four times - done by bureaucrats, private security personnel, members of mass organizations and unknown individuals, one case each.

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Wednesday, October 20, 2010

US admires democracy in Indonesia

Antara News, Wednesday, October 20, 2010 14:38 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - US Ambassador to Indonesia Scot Marciel admires Indonesian democracy for more than ten years.

In a meeting with Regional Representatives Council (DPD) chairman Irman Gusman here on Tuesday, Marciel said Indonesia had successfully made political reform and reordered the state system.

According to Marciel, Indonesia`s success in political field would strengthen economic development because it was supported with political stability, harmonious relation between central and regional governments, and the diversity of tribes, races, and religions.

The US envoy also admired harmonious relations of Islam and democracy in Indonesia.

To his guest on the occasion, Irman Gusman also explained democratic progress in Indonesia.

He said Indonesia is pluralist and multi-culture country with a variety of ethnicity and cultures, but has equality in perspective and values because it is bound with the four state pillars, namely Pancasila, 1945 Constitution, Unity in Diversity, and NKRI (the unitary state of the republic of Indonesia).

"Indonesia`s success to be the third largest democratic country in the world is inseparable from its open attitude to public transparency and accountability," Irman said.

He also expressed hope that the already good cooperation relation between Indonesia and the United States could be strengthened even more, especially the "strategic partnership" in the fields of economy, politics, social, and culture.

Atilah Soeryadjaja: Celebrating Javanese female warriors

Prodita Sabarini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 10/20/2010 10:51 AM

When Javanese royal Bandoro Raden Ayu Atilah Soeryadjaja read a headline on a Singaporean newspaper stating that her hometown, Surakarta, was haven for terrorists, she was furious.

JP/Prodita Sabarini
Central Java city, also known as Solo (Surakarta), had been used as a hiding place for terrorist leader Noordin M. Top before he was killed last year in a siege on the city’s outskirts.

The headline sent shivers down 49-year-old Atilah’s spine. As the granddaughter of the Javanese king Mangkunegara VII — born and raised in the court of Mangkunegaran — she felt inspired to restore Surakarta’s image as one of the country’s centers of Javanese culture in the way she knows best.

One of the founders of the Mitra Wayang Orang Indonesia, a group of Javanese opera lovers consisting of socialites who train and perform Javanese plays, Atilah decided to produce an epic Javanese play based on the life story of her ancestor, Raden Ayu Matah Ati, the wife of the first Mangkunegaran King Raden Mas Said.

With a team of 95 dancers and musicians, Atilah will present the play Matah Ati on Oct. 22 and 23 at Singapore’s prominent art center Esplanade.

At her house in Imam Bonjol, Central Jakarta, Atilah said she had set her eye on Esplanade for her play since she had conceived the idea — one of the reasons being the art center is located in Singapore, where the newspaper with the disturbing headline is based.

Esplanade’s prominence in presenting high quality performing art attracting thousands of tourists from all over the world was another reason.

“We can’t counter [the headline] with anything. But with our best work, we can show them. I didn’t tell anyone. For two years I developed the play, and rehearsed. This is for our culture and to return Solo’s image [as a center of Javanese culture],” she said.

The play is presented in the spirit of langendriyan, which Atilah explained as Javanese opera consisting of dance and singing. Atilah wrote and directed the play after carrying out extensive research on her ancestor. She was also hands-on with the actors’ costumes.

Atilah said the story highlights the life of Rubiah, who became Raden Ayu Kusuma Matah Ati after tying the knot with Raden Mas Said, and portrays her as a strong Javanese female. Rubiah was the leader of a 40-strong group of Javanese female warriors.

“I wanted to share that during that time, in the 18th century and even before, Indonesia already had a tradition of female warriors, consisting of farmers and housewives. They joined the fight.”

Rubiah, Atilah said, was a simple village girl from the village of Matah who was a gifted dancer. “She is actually the descendant of Sultan Agung, from the fourth of fifth line. Her father hid in Matah when there was conflict in Mataram,” she said, referring to the 17th century king of Mataram kingdom.

There are two versions of Rubiah’s name after she married Mas Said: Raden Ayu Kusuma Matah Ati and Raden Ayu Kusuma Patah Ati. Both “Matah” and “Patah” mean “to serve” in Javanese.

Atilah chose to use Matah Ati for her play as Patah Ati might be interpreted as broken heart, while the real meaning of her name was to serve the heart of the prince.

Atilah said she supported gender equality between men and women. However, she emphasized that as a wife, a woman’s role was to take care of the children and serve her husband. “In essence, men are above us. We should not forget our values — our eastern tradition,” she said.

Atilah learned Javanese dancing when she was little. She lived in the Mangkunegaran palace until she moved to Jakarta to attend junior high school. She felt repressed at the court when she was growing up, as she was not allowed to go out.

She was forced to fast on Mondays and Thursdays, and would have to wait until her elders had finished their meals before she could eat.

“However, I realize this training was beneficial for me as a woman,” she said.

Atilah likened herself to a lost monkey when she moved to Jakarta. The sight of tall buildings and cars overwhelmed her. In Surakarta, she used to climb trees in the palace’s court to catch a glimpse of the city.

She remembers riding a double-decked bus with her school friends without getting permission from people from home, and getting lost. “There were afternoon discos at Hotel Indonesia at that time, and I went with my friends. I was so shocked by the loud music. All this time I had only listened to Javanese gamelan,” she said.

Atilah said she had always been in love with Javanese plays, but she only put her writing and directing skills to work recently.

Married to businessman Edward Soeryadjaja, Atilah used to spend most of her spare time supporting her husband’s business. But when her children returned from studying overseas, she was able to shift her priorities. “Before, I had to help out with my husband’s business. But now, since my children have returned and taken over, I have more time,” she said.

Atilah is already currently writing her second play.

After Singapore, Matah Ati will travel to Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Beijing, Hong Kong and Tokyo.

‘Matah Ati’
Oct. 22 and 23
Esplanade Theater
Singapore
8 p.m.