Performers playing the angklung before partially finished ‘ondel-ondel’ puppets – originally used by the native Betawi people to ward off evil spirits – in Jakarta. (Bernama pic) On the sweltering ...

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Once revered and considered sacred, the giant-headed puppet, known as ondel-ondel, is now a dilemma and controversy in Jakarta. Photo: AFP In the sweltering streets of Jakarta, Indonesia, buskers ...

JAKARTA: Under the blazing sun along the side of a road in a residential area of Central Jakarta, skilled craftsmen were hard at work to create giant puppets out of woven bamboo. Known as ondel-ondel, ...

JAKARTA: On the sweltering streets of Jakarta, buskers often carry towering, hollow puppets and pass around a bucket for donations. Now, they fear becoming outlaws. City authorities say they will ...

City authorities say they will crack down on use of the sacred ondel-ondel puppets, which can stand as tall as a truck, and they are drafting legislation to remove what they view as a street nuisance.

In the sweltering streets of Jakarta, buskers carry towering, hollow puppets and pass around a bucket for donations. Now, they fear becoming outlaws. City authorities said they would crack down on use ...