My Train of Thoughts: Mata-Mata...He said that we were spies...!


Mr & Mrs Smiths :)

(I wrote a story about this couple years ago in Friendster, but I deleted the blog then...)

What can I say... All my life I have watched so many espionage movies... James Bond movies, off course, are the most familiar one for me... From Connery to Craig.... I also read quite many suspense novels as the extension of my childhood readings... you know... the Enid Blyton's The Five (Indonesian: 5 Sekawan)... Robert Jay Arthur, JR'sThe 3 Investigators (Indonesian: Trio Detectives); Nancy Drew... -- I read the Indonesian translated ones off course... Hey I was just kid and it was not even easy to find those books in a small town those days... --- Then I read Alistair Maclean's books, Sidney Sheldon's... I even wrote about military for my last assignment on my undergraduate school because of my admiration to this profession... So... it's quite an experience when I and my friend, Andry Lesmana, were caught by the National Army during our survey for our planning studio couple years ago...
It was September 2006, only few days before Ramadan. I and 5 other students in my class ( 2 girls, 4 men) were in one team for Planning Studio. Our task was to collect all relevant data for the class in Purwokerto. We stayed there for couple days, and my partner that time was Andry. I know Purwokerto better than others because I finished my high school there. Andry was a really good partner, since he was good at reading map and, like most Javanese people, also good at finding direction. It was not necessary to bring compass when travelling with Andry, since he was a compass himself... :) Andry was also a curious surveyor and eager to know the streets and paths in the city (his quality that lead us to troubles:). So, when we just arrived in Purwokerto from Jogja, and yet got any motor cycle to travel, I and he started to walk along the street in the city since he wanted to understand the city right away, while others rested in the hotel. We got lots of data, rode like crazy chasing the "traffic jam" points in the morning rush hour, hung around the market and interviewed the "preman pasar", and suspected as government auditor when we "inspected" a bridge being constructed near one of the rivers there.


I and Andry in Unsoed, Purwokerto

But the unforgettable one is when we were caught by the army on our last day there. We were suppose to visit the ex sugar factory that morning and then went to the landfill site. However, few minutes after we left the factory, Andry stopped the motorbike, and went to take pictures of the Indonesian Army HQ we just passed. I asked him why he stopped and took pictures. He said, "Sekalian, Mbak" (it's should be in one package... -- and he addressed me Mbak, which is also mean "Sister" --So he took some pictures of the open field in front of the HQ, while a platoon of soldiers was exercising there.... And shouted at us for taking photos...

Oh well, in short, we had to sit in a small room with the chief of intelligence unit interrogated us. I was a little worry, yet I felt excited at the same time... Andry's face was pale. He was a good map reader, but he was not a good interviewee... and he had soft voice.... :) My worry that time was mostly because the soldiers took my 4 day notes, while I hadn't copy the notes to the computer, and the notes that time were on the desk of the chief. The chief of Intelligence Section has thick mustache, harsh face, dark skin and big. He started scolding us as espionage, questioning our "patriotism". Andry tried to answer him, but it was no use. I got tired being scolded and started by saying " Well... if we were spies... we wouldn't have been so stupid taking pictures using a pocket camera in front of twenty soldiers...,If I were a spy, you wouldn't have noticed if i took pictures.... And I wonder if there is any regulation prohibiting me to take pictures of your office... It's just on a public street... It's not hidden and everyone can see it...". The chief was startled after I said that and couldn't mention any rule for us to oblige regarding taking pictures of the HQ building from the street... hahahaha... Oh my God... the Lieutenant General had no clue that his subordinates had caught students of urban and regional planning, who were conducting a spatial plan studio... and had to deal with GIS hahaha....

Anyway, the chief became very kind to us, and he even answered my questions regarding the area (off course after I said nice things about intelligence unit and gently grabbed my notes -- I said: the view from an intelligence officer was very precious and should not be missed, and I had to take notes of what he said... hahaha... -- BTW, it was true that his opinion was important, It's not a mere tactic to get my notes back... *Doh.....

It was about an hour long, and we were close to be released immediately... But just our luck... it seemed that the news about 2 spies were caught red handed at the military headquarter had spread to the entire building. The vice commander of the HQ thought it was important to see by himself the faces of the 2 spies.... And he was worse.... The chief of intelligence unit seemed older that he, but obviously, this general was the boss. So.... Both of us had to start from zero...again.... The chief of intelligence could not help us anymore.... The commander was Batakness... and he didn't bother to say nice words to us... He accused us as spies, and said that he bet that we didn't choose SBY on the general election.... He pissed me off big time! I said that he should mind his own business and I had no obligation to report to anybody whom i chose in the GE, and questioning his motive asking me questions like that... hahahha.... I had to spent another hour in the room... and this time, it was rough... The commander said that students only make problems... and i said, military should stay professional by remain being politaclly neutral, blah blah blah....

I and Andry on our graduation day in Rotterdam, Nov 2008

Oh well... in the end, the commander was finally became more friendly to us..(after i scolded him for smoking in the room, and off course after seeing me getting frustrated with him.... hahaha....). He and the shief of intelligence unit even offered to take us to lunch and offered their help with our survey.... (Oh my God... why they didn't do so in the beginning... and we had to waste an hour fighting...). I even asked their business card :) The commander didn't want to give it to me, and wonder why I wanted to have his business card. I simply said "Well, if any soldiers catch me again, I just have to show your business card and call you to release me... hahaha...". After the survey.. I lost weight about 7 Kgs...and I felt good... There is no fat Bond's girls, right???? ... :)