AusHeritage member Bruce Pettman recently visited Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital and made mention of the fine examples of heritage buildings dating from the interwar era to the late 18th century.

Even though many the buildings are in such a bad state, they continue to attract many locals and tourists. Approximately half of these older buildings are either abandoned or neglected, a number of which are government owned. To sell or renovate these buildings would involve a change in law. Private owners are hampered by controls, taxes and bureaucracy.

An article by Michael Bachelard, Indonesian correspondant, appeared in Melbourne’s ‘The Age’ newspaper 4 July 2013 highlighting the plight of many aging and crumbling buildings in Jakarta, Indonesia. To article can be found at: http://www.theage.com.au/world/jakartas-grand-old-city-crumbles-20130703-2pcbn.html 4/07/2013