Thursday, December 22, 2016

Human Rights Training In Jakarta

I came back from Jakarta over a week ago and my office's jobs piled up my head till I had terrible mental block. It was like a revenge for going away to China and Indonesia for too long. Today I feel almost back to track with my demanding work and strict Japanese clients who actually help to keep me on my toes.

I was happy and honoured to be invited by my old friend Peter Tan, to be his P.A. and accompany him to attend the recent ASEAN Secretariat Human Rights Training where he was invited to speak in their workshop. My friend Peter had come a long way after his swimming pool tragedy when he was only 18 years old, where he had dived at the shallow end by mistake and suffered from serious spinal cord injury which affected his limbs and mobility. He has struggled a lot to adapt to his fate and needs to use a wheel chair all his life. We lost touch briefly after I went to US and he got married later to a lovely banker wife who has a heart of gold. She was busy lately and unable to accompany him for this trip, so I tagged along instead.




1. We had a quick lunch at KLIA as we didn't expect MAS to serve us
lunch for this short 2 hours flight to Jakarta. Our friendship spans over
30 years today and it was very good to catch up again.




2. It was an eye opener to understand how passengers like Peter, with
special needs are being escorted to their seats in the aeroplane
using the special very narrow wheel chair, provided by the airlines.
Sadly, our AA do not have this special wheelchairs till now.



3. In Jakarta, the airport's personnel in pink uniform wheeled my
friend Peter from the plane all the way through immigration, baggage
claims until he got into the taxi to our hotel. I just tailed behind
and jumped through all the long queues too. Yay!



4. We stayed at this trendy upscale part of Jakarta City where
I could not see the slums or cardboard houses like my previous trip.
There are so many security and policemen guarding the city.
They strictly DO NOT ALLOW any photography of any buildings
yet I took them to share with you all. LOL





5. We stayed at this fabulous JW Marriott Hotel which has the
best and friendliest 5 Star services I had ever experienced.
Trust me, their services are really top notch.



6. The whole neighbourhood is very swanky with beautiful
buildings yet they stopped me from taking photos!
I should be sharing good things since I am not
a threat or terrorist.

7. One for the album by the Christmas Tree inside
the JW Marriot in Jakarta.




8. My room's window overlooked The Ritz Carlton Hotel
on the left.



9. Their F&B manager personally escorted my friend around the
restaurant and briefed him on all the exotic and delicious food.



10. I was not surprised that Japan has voted this hotel as
The Best Hotel in whole Asia! The photo is the Japanese award.




11. The whole buffet spread from breakfast to lunch and dinner
were all fantastic and good.



12. I had lots of fried pork bacons for breakfast!




13. At the 3 day event of ASEAN Secretariat Human Rights Training,
they focused on the Human Rights Mechanisms/Systems and Disability Awareness.
One excellent speaker HE. Dr Seree Nonthasoot from Thailand
shared many important demographics on the plight and needs of the disabled
population around the world. The other invited speakers touched
on other important issues too.



14. His slides pointed out that China has the highest number of
85 million disabled people! That is way higher than our whole
population of Malaysia.




15. Indonesia's disabled population is over 6 million people yet
there is so much to be done to create awareness to provide all
the assistance for the population with special needs in all
the areas from toilets, road accessibilities, public transports
and every where. I always paid attention to these issues ever
since my friend suffered from his spinal cord injury.




 16. It was Peter's turn to speak together with his partner from Laos.
He is Samnieng Thammavong who suffers from polio.



17. They gave an interesting question to all the participants.
It was an easy question, yet they were tongue tied before
giving various answers. I myself learnt something from this.
What is Disability and Where is Disability?







18. The whole group of participants from Asean countries took a farewell photo.
Yours truly sat on the floor at Peter's feet.



19. This place is the departure gate at the Soekarno–Hatta International Airport
which looks cosy! The flight home gave me a new opener on the issues
of the many people with special needs around us. Japan has one of the
best facilities in the world for their aging population which is
growing very fast. Someday, we will all grow very old and weak
where we need to have the right and proper facilities.
I am wondering whether our country will be ready
for my future needs?




Peter Tan is now a weekly columnist at
Borneo Post. You read his articles HERE.



****



47 comments:

  1. Good evening TM... The rain came at the wrong time, the workout was cancel, no workout for me today, sobssssss....

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    1. Good Evening! Hey, please don't cry lah because it will rain some more. LOL

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  2. It was an eye opener for you ya to be able to attend the training ya...

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    1. Yeah it was eye opener for me. Did it open your eyes too?

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  3. What a great experience, Anay!

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    1. Yes. It was a great experience and I enjoyed it.

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  4. You guys look fabulous & what an eventful trip, Tan! Happy holidays!

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    1. We looked fabulous? I didn't put on my costumes. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to you.

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    2. You don't need any costumes, dear! The shot with the X'mas tree is great! Merry X'mas, Tan!

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  5. Worth the heavy work on your desk, TM! I am sure you know a lot and understand more now about disability and how they feel... Actually I have a fair share of experiencing how it feels to be disabled, I was on wheelchair bound for at least three to four months, using wheelchair downstairs and my walker upstairs. Going out is also a problem, shopping on a wheelchair also I experienced, really no joke, most painful part is the buttocks! After experiencing being disabled for some months, it is a great joy to be able to walk again though I cannot run anymore for now... Hope our country will be more disabled friendly soon!

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    1. I remember the months you were on the wheelchair too but you were on great holiday across Europe! Lucky mama!

      I could imagine the aches to sit on the wheel chair for too many hours. I doubt our country would be able to achieve the standard to benefit all the people with special needs. They have to weed out the corruptions first.

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  6. despite busy after a long break...it's all worth it coz u gotta attend a free training which is an eye-opener plus enjoying all the 1st class hotel treatment...I dun mind tagging along (if he invites) LOL!

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    1. I always looked at life as a journey and I would not hesitate to be of help and relief to anyone along the way. Yes, I enjoyed the comfort of the all paid luxury hotel and flight. The education was priceless for me.

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  7. oh gosh, your life is happening leh~
    hahahaha, yeah, i am stuck in Ipoh and writing my thesis now.

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    1. Goodness! You just appeared from thin air and brought so much rain & storm today. Please resume your blog and not grow cob webs!! Thesis can wait but I cannot wait.... Tsk! Tsk!

      Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you.

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  8. Sometimes I donate to the Society for the Physically Disable, in short, SPD

    Your time is well spent TM, touring and after that busy with work and attending the event

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    1. Yes, agree Peter's wife is such an angel, this is true love

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    2. It is good that you always make donations. Any form of donations and thoughts for the less privileged would go a long way to help all. Yes his wife is God sent and cares for him very well.

      Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you.

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  9. Wow this is a very priceless experience. Such an eye opening trip. Peter's wife indeed has the heart of gold. Such an angel she is.

    Owh, I'll be annoyed if I can't take pictures but if I were you, there, I wont dare to do anything. Afraid they'll catch me and not let me return to Malaysia. Haha.

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    1. Yes it was kinda crazy that I got stopped 3 times at 3 different places by the security men who reminded me that I was inside the "High End" area where photography is strictly forbidden. Sigh!

      Peter's wife is an angel and takes good care of him.

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  10. Thanks for sharing such an interesting eye opening eent and issue as well. Malaysia definitely needs to do more for the disable and aging population (me included!).
    Happy weekend and a blessed Christmas to you and family. PS. Hope I will be able to meet Peter's wife one day!

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    1. You are still young even though you are a grandma. You can still fly all over the world and run faster than a child. I am thinking hard how this country could achieve the standard like Japan. Let's move to Japan!

      Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you.

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  11. Har, can't take pics of the buildings? Sounds like Saudia Arabia / North Korea.

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    1. I didn't know that we cannot take pictures in Saudi Arabia. I only know that you cannot misbehave yourself only! LOLOL

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  12. When I read that you were invited by your close friend, Peter Tan, to accompany him on this workshop, I instantly thought to myself...is this the same Peter Gabriel Tan @ petertan.com blog that I've read about. A few photos later, I still couldn't be sure until I reached the photo you took with the Christmas tree in JW Marriot. He's a great writer and his stories are inspirational and tug at your heart strings. I urge anyone who is looking for inspiration and motivation to read his blog :)

    Thanks for sharing this post on disability issues. Looks like Malaysia is lagging far behind Japan...even Indonesia...when it comes to having the right and proper facilities for our disabled and aging population. Let's hope our government do more.

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    1. Thank you for highlighting petertan blog which must have slipped TM's busy mind. I will definitely read his blog. :)

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    2. Wow! You know who Peter Gabriel Tan is! Yes he is so famous and has stopped blogging as his job at Borneo Post takes up all his time now. That was why I didn't mention his blog as it could growing cob webs now. I should promote his column at Borneo Post instead later.

      Mun - You might need a box of tissues to read some of his blog postings. He could make tough men cry! LOL

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  13. It's great that you got this opportunity to accompany your friend. It is sad what happened to your friend and I see that he is a person of very positive spirit and strength. Yes, we must all be aware of the needs of those physically challenged and it is also my hope that our government pay more attention to the needs of the disabled. Just look around us, we find very scant infrastructure for the disabled. Though there has been some progress (like ramps for wheelchairs) it is still not enough.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. You are so right that I also found that he is a person of very positive spirit and strength. He is very independent in many ways beyond my expectation and I was quite happy for him.

      Around your office block, I am pleased to note that the developer took great effort to refurbish the whole street pavements to help the blind and people with special needs. The whole place looks so neat, clean and lively now.

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  14. Jakarta looks such a beautiful and sophisticated city. I see various interesting buildings. Maybe you showed us the best part of the city? It must have been a priceless experience not only the workshop but also the gorgeous hotel life, service, and hospitality. Respect to the mutual difference, more compassion and empathy would make the world better place, I think.

    Yoko

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    1. This is only a small part of beautiful Jakarta. The other areas are scary with so much pollution and crowded with slum areas. Quite a sad sight but they are changing their facade now since my last visit. Everyday is a lesson for my along the journey of my life. I wish I could live in Japan all my life!

      Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you Yoko-San.

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  15. TM, you are so kind to spare your time and despite being so tired from your China trip having just recovered, you be your courageous friend's PA when his wife can't accompany him. Can you please share with us the answers to the two questions - what is disability and where is disability?

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    1. I think you would do the same when your good old friend requests for your company to go for a trip! It was like a paid holiday for me to go & learn some new things about how the world should create a better living environment for all people with special needs.

      You are giving me an inspiration to write a blog post itself to address the issues pertaining to What Is Disability and Where Is Disability?? Stay tuned.

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  16. Never been to Jakarta before, would love to visit it if I have the chance =)
    This seems like a great experience for you, good la!!

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    1. Merry Christmas to you and family TM!

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    2. I would suggest that you visit Bali as they have the highest tourist arrivals in the whole country. The place is really like a haven with so many attractions and lovely Kuta Beach.

      Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you!

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  17. Hi! It looks very nice trip for you and your friend. always respect that there are your vitality and curiosity for various things. Wishing you have a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

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  18. Seriously? Why they don't allow to take picture? That's very weird, first time heard about this, let me go gossip with my Indonesian to ask about this XD

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  19. So glad to see you accommodating your differently abled friend and such people like him are sheer inspiration to people like me. I too learnt something from your post, about the disabled and photo restriction on the Jakarta. I could understand how cheerful the conference end from the farewell picture with our enthusiastic yours truly seated beneath :)

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  20. Anay & Letchumi,

    Happy New Year!

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  21. Oh understand how you feel after a long holiday and once get back to office - mentally block...Hahaha... Me might have a grumpy face sitting in my cubicle and silent to clear off the tables and emails. Gosh!!!

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    1. Hubby was planned to bring me go Jakarta to attend wedding...somehow that time was pregnant - first time mummy. MIL bla bla bla..so ended didn't go. Too bad... ended we set off at Bali..

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    2. Is this the first time accompany Peter? You must be proud of yourself escorting and become Peter's bodygaurd to Jakarta. Even staying in JW Marriot and Ritz Carlton - sounds luxury eh.

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  22. I think this is truly an honorable invite by your good friend and it was an eye opener and memorable experience for you too.

    Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to you and family, TM.

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  24. Why high end place cannot take photo? Can't understand >_<
    Jakarta & bacon, can?
    Happy 2017 to you TM & your family ^__^

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Stay Tuned.