Indonesian President, Australia, travel warnings, terrorism, bombs, earthquakes

The Indonesian President must feel his nation is a safe place to visit. During President Yudhoyono's visit to Australia this week, he asked the government to drop their travel advisory about Indonesia. Currently Indonesia is listed under the heading of areas where you should "Reconsider your need to travel" on the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website.

The warning reads, "We advise you to reconsider your need to travel to Indonesia, including Bali, at this time due to the very high threat of terrorist attack."

It then proceeds to list places Westerners have been attacked or hurt in places in Bali and Jakarta. Obviously the 2002 and 2005 Bali bombs spring to mind and the attack last year on the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and JW Marriott Hotel in the capital in which a number of people were killed.

While the Australian government obviously takes an official stance about safety warnings to places where there is a threat of terrorist attack, it seems Australians feel rather differently about it. After New Zealand, more Australians travel to Indonesia than anywhere else. The numbers that visit Bali have actually doubled every two years since 2006.

I have a brother living in Jakarta so I've visited many times. On the whole I have not felt any human menace in Indonesia although my brother would not always concur. But I have certainly had experiences with some of the natural disasters that inflict the nation.

Earthquakes are reasonably frequent in this part of the world and I've woken a few times from the 26th floor of a condominum where my brother lived, to find the whole building swaying and shaking. A little disconcerting to say the least. Happily he now lives in a low set building.

I also visited earthquake ravaged areas near Jogyakarta and tsunami affected villages in Sumatra. Friends of my brother are regularly flooded out during the annual rains and my parents have assisted in some of the flood relief to affected parties.

In terms of human risk, again it's my brothers tales of life as an expat that sometimes leave me with my heart in my mouth. One day he rang to say he had just been held up at gun point. Hired goons of a previous employer had threatened him when he went around to ask if when he would be paid. They repeatedly rang to hassle him for money over the next week, until he took a pre-scheduled flight home for the Christmas break. By the time he returned they had fortunately given up on him.

Occassionally he is informed of areas people are advised not to travel in the city, although that has not been for some time. And he is regularly accosted on his motorbike to pay bribes for various "traffic offences", if he gets through the traffic unscathed that is. One business he worked for was virtually crippled by officials who kept delaying the granting of a license in the hope they would receive a gift to hurry along the process.

Okay this isn't terrorism, but Indonesia safe? Probably not, but then again where is completely safe? Some might beg to differ about Australia at present with floods, drought, student attacks and so forth going on. Some underhand things that go on in Indonesia are probably no different to other nations, and in Australia this does happen also, although on a much more covert level.

At the end of the day my brother still lives there and we continue to visit. I love Indonesia and if people ask me about safety, well I'm honest about what I've seen and heard: beauty and tragedy. I'd never prevent people from going but I wouldn't advise the Australian government change their stance either. Terrorism, disaster and corruption does happen and travellers can make their own informed decisions.