Security and Personal Safety
A message from the Consortium Director
ACICIS regards the safety and security of our students 'in-country'
as our first priority.
We endeavour to give students accurate, up-to-date information
on the local security situation prior to their departure and to
provide regular updates on any changes to that assessment. There
is a range of practical things everyone can do. All participants
are required to have appropriate personal and travel insurance to
cover personal safety and security contingencies. In addition, all
participants must have a mobile phone in Indonesia to enable them
to communicate easily in emergencies.
 On
arrival in Indonesia, students are thoroughly briefed during the Orientation
program about matters of personal safety and security. They are made aware of
a range of routine security arrangements and it is stressed that they must take
the responsibility for personal behaviour and safety by, among other things,
avoiding any potentially dangerous situations.
During Orientation, all students register with the Australian Embassy,
Jakarta. Consequently, up-dated bulletins are forwarded by the Australian
Embassy to their registered email addresses as necessary. The RD
is designated by the Australian Embassy as the local 'community
warden' for Yogyakarta, and is able to contact the Embassy Security
Officer directly. The RD also keeps ACICIS students informed by
email of any security bulletins from the Australian Embassy or ACICIS
security advice.
In providing information to students, their home universities
and their families, we do not seek to alarm, but do endeavour to
present a balanced and considered assessment of what is sometimes
a fluid security environment.
The Resident Director (and the Secretariat) routinely follow developments
in Indonesia with specialist attention. The RD has an extensive
network of contacts, both official and unofficial, from which he
draws security information. The RD liaises with relevant staff in
our Indonesian partner universities to ensure that, in their assessment,
our students are not subject to any particular threat, and to ensure
the RD is immediately informed if our host universities believe
the security situation on campus, or in surrounding areas, is likely
to deteriorate. Contingency arrangements exist for the provision
of 'safe house' accommodation if required in emergencies. Maintaining
these information networks is an important part of the RD's job
and is taken very seriously. Students are kept informed, as necessary,
by the RD, either by email, telephone or at the regular'check-point'
meetings throughout the semester. ACICIS was delighted to receive a letter
from His Excellency the Governor of Yogyakarta Special Region,
Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, personally advising us 'that the city
of Yogyakarta is safe for any students who wish to study there'.
We believe that our students are not like normal visitors to Indonesia.
They are not tourists, and as such are normally removed from possible
trouble spots. In particular our students:
- Speak Indonesian;
- Live in the community rather than in hotels;
- Have the 24 hour support of the ACICIS Resident Director (RD)
and local ACICIS staff;
- Have a network of Indonesian and Australian friends and contacts;
- Receive extensive briefing on security and other problems both
pre-departure and also at orientation;
- Are covered by ACICIS emergency procedures, which include:
- Compulsory mobile phones, where SMS is an effective tool;
- Prearranged safe houses;
- Evacuation plans;
- The support of university security and police, who will
provide armed guards on request.
We also believe that when there has been a need, ACICIS has acted
responsibly to guarantee the safety of our students. For example,
in 1998 during the fall of Suharto, all students were evacuated
to Bali; and in 2002 in the aftermath of the Bali bombing, the semester
was curtailed and all students were ordered to return home.
As Consortium Director in Australia I consult with the ACICIS Reference
Group when circumstances require wider consideration by the consortium's
national policy body. Our security arrangements are constantly under
review and are designed to be flexible enough to respond to a variety
of possible scenarios.
While it is impossible for anyone to guarantee the security of
students - whether in Indonesia, Australia, or anywhere else - the
Consortium takes the aspect of 'in-country' study very seriously.
We seek to provide students with a safe, positive, and uplifting
learning experience in Indonesia. We believe we have been successful
in meeting this challenge since our first cohort of students went
to Indonesia in 1995.
Embassy bulletins include information about how to obtain
the latest security information, including:
Professor David Hill
ACICIS Consortium Director
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