`Cowboys in Paradise` Director to be Summoned through Interpol

ANTARA News, 1 May 2010

The Bali police are to summon Amit Virmani, the maker of the "Cowboys in Paradise" documentary film who resides in Singapore, with the help of Interpol, a spokesman said. "We are going to do so after all the witnesses we have questioned and the evidence we have collected show Amit`s involvement in punishable acts," Bali police spokesman Sr Com Gde Sugianyar Dwi Putra said here on Friday.

He said police had questioned six witnesses and their statements as well as the available evidence had led to the conclusion Amit had violated Indonesian laws in making the controversial documentary.

"Amit can be charged with violating Law No 8/1992 on Film and be sentenced to a maximum jail term of one year and a fine of Rp40 million in lieu of an additional one year behind bars," Sugianyar said.

But as Amit was now in residing in Singapore, the Bali police would summon him through the Criminal Investigation Department of the National Police Headquarters which had a permanent link with Interpol.

"We have already begun coordinating with the National Police Headquarters to have Amit summoned for questioning here," he added.

But Sugianyar admitted bringing Amit to Indonesia might not be an easy thing to accomplish as Indonesia did not have an extradition treaty with Singapore.

"However, this possible hurdle does not prevent us from building our case against the film director," he said.

Amit`s film which purports to depict the life of local young men as gigolos at Bali`s Kuta beach has drawn angry reactions from Bali`s authorities and community members as it was considered damaging the resort island`s image as respectable tourist destination.

Source: ANTARA News

Bali Democracy Forum Opens in Indonesia

YAHOO!News, 10 December 2009

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono opened the second Bali Democracy Forum on Thursday with a call for more equitable growth after the global financial crisis.

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and senior officials from more than 20 countries attended the start of the two-day gathering at a luxury beachside resort on the tourist island of Bali.

Under the broad theme of "promoting synergy between democracy and development in Asia", the two-day forum is the second in an initiative launched last year by the Indonesian government.

In his keynote address, Yudhoyono said that as the world clawed its way out of financial turmoil, economies had to restructure in a way that protected the "poor and weak".

"The crisis has forced the world to conduct restructuring that is more democratic. One of the consequences (of the crisis) is the surge in demand for more inclusive growth," he said.

He said representative, accountable government would be "hollow" without development.

"Many have the opinion that democracy is not the ultimate objective. The ultimate objective of democracy as well as development is creating prosperity for the people," he said.

Hatoyama said elections this year in India, Indonesia and Japan testified to the health of democracy in the region.

But he said challenges remained in countries like China, Myanmar and North Korea.

On China, he said there were "great expectations" that Beijing would "continue to make progress as a responsible power on the issues of democracy and human rights".

He said Japan would "continue to encourage rather than impose" democratic change in Myanmar, and called for the junta to ensure elections scheduled for next year are free and fair.

Japan would also continue to work through the six-party talks -- which also group the two Koreas, Russia, China and the US -- to encourage Pyongyang to "join the trend in Asia and elsewhere" for greater openness and democracy.

Source: YAHOO!News