The wRap Indonesia: Nov. 12, 2014

JAKARTA, Indonesia – The latest developments in the murder of two Indonesians in Hong Kong and new efforts to ease traffic congestion in Jakarta lead our wrap of stories from Indonesia the past day. 

1. Bodies of Indonesians murdered in Hong Kong arrive home to be buried

The bodies of two Indonesian women allegedly murdered by a British banker in Hong Kong arrived back home on Tuesday, November 11, in order to be buried by their families in their respective hometowns. Sumarti Ningsih’s body was taken to her home town of Cilacap, in southern Java, accompanied by her brother, while Seneng Mujiasih’s body remained overnight at the Jakarta airport before being flown to her family’s home on Muna island, in central Indonesia. “My wife is in deep shock and cannot eat anything. She keeps crying remembering our beloved daughter,” Seneng’s father, Mujiharjo, said. Read the full story on Rappler. 

2. Officials and netizens scratch heads at police raid of Gameloft office 

In the wake of the surprise police raid on the office of Gameloft – one of Indonesia’s biggest mobile game companies – in Yogyakarta on Monday, November 11, city officials said they hoped the incident won’t turn off potential investors, Kompas.com reported. Local police raided the office based on reports from residents that the building was secretly an online gambling den, which proved to be false. In the future, officials said they were ready to provide police with information on companies operating in Yogyakarta to prevent such misunderstandings from happening again. But netizens were quick to make fun of the incident, such as a meme based on the popular Indonesian movie “The Raid”.

3. Official Jakarta traffic updates coming through Waze soon

Actual speed of traffic, accidents, and road closures are among some of the official data that will be provided by the Jakarta Transportation Agency to Google Waze as part of a partnership to help motorists navigate through the capital. The agreement was signed in September, but Waze officials met with Jakarta officials on Tuesday to iron out details. As of November 2013, there were about 750,000 active Waze app users in Indonesia, putting the country among the top 10 biggest Waze user communities in the world, according to Techinasia.com. Even Acting Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama has said he uses the popular app.

4. Motorcycles to be banned from two main Jakarta roads 

By December, motorcycle-riders could find themselves banned from two key roads in Central Jakarta – Jalan MH Thamrin and Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat. The goal is not only to ease traffic congestion, but also to reduce motorcycle accidents and test the adequacy of the public transport system in the area. “Around 2-3 teenagers die every day due to motorcycle accidents,” Ahok said, according to BeritaJakarta.com. Parking spaces will be provided for motorcycle riders just outside the restricted areas, and then double-decker buses will be provided to take them to ultimate destinations. If it works out well, the restriction may be expanded to other roads next year.       

5. Local lawmaker admits sending lewd photo to colleague

A Riau Islands provincial lawmaker from the Islam-based National Awakening Party (PAN), identified by his initials DS, admitted on Tuesday that he sent a lewd photo to a fellow female lawmaker, DI. But it was an accident, he said, claiming he meant to send it to his wife, who was in a different city. The problem was that DI was praying when her cellphone buzzed to alert an incoming message, and her husband picked up the phone to check it. Her shocked husband saw the vulgar image and accused DI of having an illicit relationship with DS, which the wife denied. DI and her husband then reported DS to the police.