US Ambassador Rides Jakarta Train
Saturday, 14 April, 2012 | 10:20 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:US Ambassador to Indonesia Scot Marciel boarded a standard commuter train in Jakarta on Thursday. He was en route to an Islamic boarding school in Bekasi.

He said the train’s 21-minute lateness was normal, as was the view of the slum area between the Gambir and Bekasi train stations. “In almost all countries, the railway is by a slum area,” he said.

The US ambassador to Indonesia said he familiar with taking the train in his hometown.

What he did not see in his trip yesterday was a train full of people. Even in the States, said Scot, the trains are always packed. “There aren’t many reporters,” he said.

PT KAI Operation I’s spokesman, Mateta Rizalulhaq¸ said there was no special treatment for the ambassador. “The train operates according to its daily standard,” he said at Gambir Railway Station.

MUHAMAD RIZKI | MITRA TARIGAN