Recently, I was with my wife on my way back to the Sheraton Hotel in Surabaya when the police pulled our taxi over in a blockade about 100 meters from the hotel.

There must have been around 40 police officers -- some in uniform and some others not. They stopped my taxi and they asked for our documents.

They wanted to see my passport, which I had at the hotel, and then hassled my wife for her documents. She is Indonesian and they said she needed documents from police for me to stay with her, even though we are married and were staying in the hotel.

She finally asked them for their own documents with their names so she could write them down before they let us go.

This was clearly an attempt to get money from us and I am truly surprised that the government continues to allow such actions to occur.

Is this the friendly atmosphere for business that Indonesia is sending to the world. I feel sorry for the local people who are more helpless and have less power to stand up to such strong-arm tactics. Such blatant corruption should be an embarrassment to the country.

STEVE SCHMIDT

Santa Fe, New Mexico

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