Since the end of October, following the Bali nightclub bombing, Indonesia has found itself in a group of countries that even Afghanistan doesn't quite belong to. Although the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office seems to think that parts of Kabul are safe to visit, it advises against all travel to Indonesia. And that slaps the same warning sticker on Indonesia as on Burundi (civil war) Liberia (civil war) Somalia (anarchy and kidnappings) and Iraq (self-explanatory). The pleadings of Indonesian politicians that their country is not a terrorist-infested, extremist Muslim state have so far fallen on deaf ears.
But the fact that the country is on a list of danger spots is good news for security specialists. "Is it mission critical?" asks a man named "Just call me Craig" when Euromoney reaches him by phone. If it isn't, he says, maybe don't make the trip.
Craig protects foreign bankers and businessmen. Morgan Stanley is supposedly a major client. He's been working in Indonesia for three years and admits that this year has been quite busy. In an attempt to drum up yet more business he adds: "It's coming up to Ramadan too. And there's always a spike in crime in this period.