Buddha Bar needs to close down as it exploits certain religious attributes, chairman of the Jakarta Legislative Council (DPRD) said. "I will talk to the governor so as to have him revoke the bar's business permit due to its blatant use of religious symbols," Ade Surapriyatna said, as quoted by kompas.com.
Your comments:
This is what Ven. Dhammika, a Bhikku Westerner, said about Buddha Bar Jakarta:
"I am happy to say that so far the Buddhists have conducted their protest in a measured and nonhysterical way.
As for the bar's name and its use of a Buddha statue are concerned, I am in two minds.
Associating the Buddha with alcohol and indulgence is quite inappropriate (see my post of Sept. 9, 2008).
On the other hand, if they made a few minor adjustments I think the place could become genuinely and authentically Buddhist and then they could rightly use the name.
They should do this: Make everyone entering the bar shave their head; drop the price of everything so they are the same as items at McDonalds; have these words printed in large letters on the bottom of the menu, "What will the food you are about to eat look like tomorrow morning when you go to the toilet?"; require everyone to share part of their meal with someone at another table; have the bar's band play Brahms' "Deutsches Requiem" all night and; when each person leaves, instead of saying, "Have a nice evening" the receptionist should say, "One day you will die." I think that would all go over well with Jakarta's in crowd, high flyers and expatriate community. Don't you?"
Miau Chang
Suspicion mounts around David's death
March 10, p. 1
Indonesia has asked Singaporean authorities to speed up the investigation into the death of David Hartanto Widjaya, an Indonesian student at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU), as the mystery deepens with an NTU staff member found hanged at the campus Friday. "We respect the Singaporean legal process, but hope law enforcers there can solve the case soon," Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said. Meanwhile, just five days after the death of David, Chinese national Zhou Zheng, 24, an NTU project officer, was found hanged in an apartment at the university's campus Friday night, prompting speculation there was a connection between the deaths of the two foreign nationals.
Your comments:
Singapore has not taken it seriously because David was an Indonesian. I bet they would have if he was not an Indonesian.
Nita
Condolences to the family, and may God give strength to David*s family and friends.
Sri Julianti
Hopefully, things will eventually work out. Condolences to the families.
Calliope
