VZCZCXRO8841
OO RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHDT RUEHGI RUEHJS RUEHKUK
RUEHLH RUEHPB RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHJA #1579/01 2610911
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 180911Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3371
INFO RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001579 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP, DRL, DRL/IRF 
NSC FOR D.WALTON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KISL KIRF ECON ID
SUBJECT: EID HOLIDAYS IN INDONESIA -- THE MASS EXODUS BEGINS 
 
REF: JAKARTA 1465 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY:  With the close of Ramadan fasting approaching, 
Indonesia--the world's largest Muslim country by 
population--is bracing for a mass exodus of millions from 
urban areas to home villages.  Almost 25 million people are 
expected to head home during the two-week period surrounding 
the Eid-ul-Fitr holiday.  Talking a good game (and aware of 
the political downsides), authorities say they have taken 
robust measures to ensure that Indonesians enjoy a safe 
holiday season.  These measures range from adding flights to 
making sure that there are adequate food and money supplies. 
That said, snarls are expected.  In the meantime, Indonesia 
has begun to prepare for the Hajj in late-November.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
CELEBRATING AN IMPORTANT MUSLIM HOLIDAY 
 
¶2.  With government and many private offices closed, 
Indonesia's over 200 million Muslims are preparing for a 
major holiday.  The return to one's hometown during the Eid 
holiday is called "mudik."  During this timeframe, almost 25 
million Indonesians will flood out of metropolitan areas as 
Ramadan comes to a close and the celebration of the end of 
the fasting month begins.  The holiday, known as 
"Eid-ul-Fitr" or in Bahasa Indonesia as "Lebaran," is a time 
to spend with family and friends and to share with those less 
fortunate.  The Eid holiday is slated to start on September 
¶20. 
 
TRYING TO ENSURE SAFETY AND THE FOOD SUPPLY 
 
¶3.  Aware of the political downsides, the government says it 
is doing its best to make sure that the season goes 
painlessly.  In the past, the Eid-ul-Fitr travel period has 
been plagued by a high number of traffic fatalities, travel 
nightmares and food shortages.  This year, however, 
authorities promised to make the travel period as safe and 
painless as possible.  They permitted airlines to add 188 
flights, increased the number of trains, deployed thousands 
of additional police to ensure that rail lines are not 
stolen, and inspected safety standards of shipping vessels 
and ferries along the busiest travel routes.  Authorities 
have also added additional gas stations along major highways. 
 Trucks, unless transporting food, are banned from travel 
during the four days before and two days after September 20. 
 
¶4.  That said, motorcycle travel is notoriously dangerous 
during the Eid holiday.  Last year, over three million people 
traveled by motorcycle and around 400 people died in 
motorcycle accidents.  Authorities passed a much stricter 
safety law this year that prohibits travel with more than two 
passengers.  (Note:  In Indonesia, it is not uncommon for 
families to travel with three or more people on motorcycles.) 
 It will be up to the police to enforce the new measure. 
 
¶5.  The government has also issued many safety warnings such 
as: "Don't take too much luggage"; "Don't wear jewelry"; 
"Don't trust strangers"; "Beware of hypnotists" (this latter 
warning is of somewhat obscure provenance); and, "Rest before 
driving."  The government has also delayed the sale of 
economy train tickets until the day of travel in an attempt 
to ensure that tickets are not bought up by scalpers thus 
denying affordable tickets to many.  (Note:  Sometimes in the 
press of crowds at train stations, people are trampled to 
death or severely injured.  This has occurred when potential 
passengers cannot buy tickets and panic.) 
 
¶6.  Eid-ul-Fitr is a time for giving and most travelers will 
be expected to give money to their families.  The new Rp. 
2,000 bill (approximately 20 cents) is in high demand--this 
is particularly popular to give to children.  Authorities 
have worked with banks to ensure adequate supplies of small 
denomination bills.   The government has also worked to make 
sure that ample food has been stockpiled.  There is an 
increased demand for basic food commodities during Ramadan 
and Eid as Indonesian Muslims often host friends and families 
for meals. 
 
¶7.  Somewhat controversially during a timeframe that is, in 
part, about sharing, the GOI has taken steps to curb begging. 
 Large numbers of poor rural Indonesians flock to the cities 
seeking handouts during the holidays.  This influx prompted 
the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to issue a fatwa 
(religious decree) outlawing begging and also banning Muslims 
from collecting donations on street.  In 2007, the Jakarta 
administration passed a law forbidding begging on the 
streets.  Lightly enforced in the past, authorities have 
 
JAKARTA 00001579  002 OF 002 
 
 
applied the law this year and have been busy conducting daily 
raids in which over 1,500 beggars have been arrested so far. 
The main target of these raids, according to the GOI, are 
organized crime syndicates which round up people from the 
countryside and bus them into Jakarta to collect money.  That 
said, civil society groups have fiercely criticized the 
government for being "heartless" and for ignoring the rights 
of the poor. 
 
PREPARING FOR THE HAJJ 
 
¶8.  As Ramadan comes to an end, Indonesian Muslims are also 
preparing for the annual pilgrimage to Mecca known as the 
Hajj.  Making the Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam and an 
obligation that must be carried out once in a Muslim's 
lifetime.  Indonesia, as the largest Muslim-majority country 
in the world, sends more pilgrims to Mecca than any other 
country.  The Ministry of Religious Affairs announced 
recently that all preparations for the 2009 Hajj had been 
completed, from arranging transportation and housing to 
issuing the controversial meningitis vaccine for the over 
200,000 Indonesians who will travel to Saudi Arabia in 
late-November. 
 
OSIUS