Denmark advises nationals to leave Indonesia

Denmark has advised its citizens not to travel to Indonesia, and for Danes in Indonesia to leave. The cartoon pictures of the Prophet Mohammed have become a Muslim version of the Monica Lewinsky saga, where much was made of something quite small.

Indonesia has seen angry protests outside Danish consulates in Jakarta and Surabaya. There have also been demonstrations in Semarang, Bandung, Yogya and other places. One group, the religious Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), said they would carry out searches for Danish people, if Denmark didn’t put those responsible for the cartoons on trial. I think that is inflamatory and won’t happen. Here in Bali its been quiet and in my opinion, a Danish person has nothing to fear in 99% of the country.

If you are Danish and want to visit Indonesia, remember that most people are cool and that there are parts of the country that are not Muslim (Bali, Flores, Sumbawa, north Sumatra, West Papua etc. ). You will hear more news about the cartoons at home in Denmark than here in Bali. The weather is a lot better here too.