NZ journalist bargains traffic fine in Bali

Markit

balinews wrote[I] "[COLOR=#ff0000]Being caught[/COLOR] paying a policeman a bribe would be unthinkable back home."[/I]

Note to self: paying the bribe isn't a problem for Kiwis journalists, but being caught is?! A portion of ethics anyone?

no.idea

"In Bali intersections are a free for all," said Soper. "If they're controlled by lights, a red doesn't necessarily mean stop." Seriously this bloke seems to know everything. What a wanker.

balinews

[I]Political journalist Barry Soper may be a big name in New Zealand, but in Indonesia he was just an unsuspecting tourist a traffic cop tried to con. Soper and his wife, TVNZ journalist Heather du Plessis-Allan, were on holiday in Bali last week when police fined him NZ$100 for failing to stop for a red light. The NewstalkZB journalist was riding a hired motorbike through a busy intersection when a police officer flagged him down. "In Bali intersections are a free for all," said Soper. "If they're controlled by lights, a red doesn't necessarily mean stop. "If you're in the middle of the swarm, it's impossible to stop anyway without running the risk of injury." Soper was taken to a nearby police post, 100 metres from the infamous Kerobokan Prison - where the Bali Nine are being held. Police fined him a million rupiah (NZ$107) for running the red light and not carrying his licence. "Immediately on flashing what looked like an official ticket book [the officer] said court could be avoided if he was paid 250,000 rupiah [NZ$27] there on the spot." Soper tried to bargain with the police officer, offering half of what he had asked for. The officer refused and Soper, who was now joined by his wife, said they would prefer to pay the ticket. But the officer was insistent and offered to drop the price of the bribe - by this point a senior officer became involved. Ad Feedback It wasn't until Soper told the police he was a journalist in New Zealand and would write about the incident that the senior officer let him go. "Being caught paying a policeman a bribe would be unthinkable back home."[/I]

davita

I may have witnessed the above epic. On my way to meet for lunch in the Warung Affordable in my seriously air-conditioned limo with the dark windows, my driver pointed to this Kiwi-looking guy with his pretty blonde partner on a scooter. He had followed the more than a dozen others who had jumped the red light, but changed his mind, and back-pedalled behind the line. This did not deter the waiting police in the tight shirt with many war medals. He stopped all other traffic and, while I sipped from a glass of chilled rosé, he instructed the bule to cross and park in front of his hut. I believe this hut is where a Dutchman once tweeted they keep the cashbox and some comlimentary Bintangs. My last vision, before driving on, was of the pylon passenger taking off her helmet and shaking her long blonde curls while the driver was feverishly searching for his wallet. My driver told me on the intercomm that we needed to fill up with gas so we pulled into the next station. The line-up for Premium was long so I said “To hell with the cost...fill her up with Pertamax.” It was going to be a free-for-me lunch anyway. Meanwhile, I went to the ATM to get a few million cash as by banker had suggested my account was overfilled.....and the KPK might get investigative. A few miles further on I spotted a police road block checking motor cyclists...lo and behold... the same guy and blondie were in the crowd.....she was combing her hair with her fingers while her guy was searching again for what must have been...a thinner wallet! We drove on to our destination whilst I sipped another glass of wine and opened the business post to note the Saudi King had died and the price of oil went up a little. Life in Bali is one hell of a duty!:black_eyed:

Braveheart_shaped_box

Markit wroteNote to self: paying the bribe isn't a problem for Kiwis journalists, but being caught is?! A portion of ethics anyone?

I see what you did there, mentioning [I]ethics[/I] and [I]journalist[/I] in the same post, for bonus points try [I]media[/I] and[I] honesty[/I]

no.idea

davita wroteI may have witnessed the above epic.

Sorry Davita it is obvious that you are being liberal with the truth. The Saudi King died on the same day as this major bribe incident happened. As such you would not have been reading that while in the back of your limo. Please just tell the facts without small embellishments.

davita

Ok! Ok! I'm busted and I exaggerated...:icon_redface:....I don't have a limo with an intercomm and a wet bar and I doubt the KPK will be interested in my miniscule account....I'm a dreamer!:hopelessness: I did say it MAY have been the same guy...so my base story was true. I've no clue which day it was as time seems to fly and I honestly cannot tell what a New Zealander:kiwi-fruit: looks like..... but I can usually tell an Australian because they like to wear Bintang T-shirts to look...:icon_cool: