Although reticent advertisers may have pulled out, the publisher refused to be
cowed by the threats of Muslim hard-line groups after it moved its office from
Jakarta to the more hospitable location of Bali.
The second edition, which hit newsstands across the country on Wednesday,
offers bolder content than the first.
The June playmate is Bali-based French beauty Amar Doriane, whose seductive
poses in see-through lingerie make her April predecessor Kartika Gunawan look
like a naive schoolgirl.
Local model Joanna Alexandra also flaunts an alluring gaze as skimpy outfits
expose her midriff and thighs.
It also has other content likely to offend the members of the hard-line groups,
with two articles discussing items prohibited for consumption in Islam -- pork
and alcohol.
The chairman of the Bali chapter of the Alliance for Independence Journalists,
Anton Muhajir, writes about the roaring success of pork meatball soup in Bali,
with Javanese vendors of beef meatball soup finding few takers for their meals.
Model Joanna Alexandra appears scantily clad in the
June edition of Indonesia Playboy |
It is followed by an article about the thriving business of selling locally
brewed beer in Yogyakarta.
The second edition also features a lengthy interview with death-row convict
Fabianus Tibo, a Christian who was sentenced to death for his role in the Poso
sectarian conflict.
Radical groups have urged the government to expedite the execution of Tibo.
The publisher's relocation to predominantly Hindu Bali provided the security it
needed after a building housing its office in South Jakarta was vandalized in
April.
"We decided to move our office and all editorial staffers to Bali as security
and serenity is our main priority," the magazine's editor in chief, Erwin
Arnada, was quoted as saying by Antara newswire.
He said the move to Bali prevented the publication of a May edition.
"We feel safe after we moved to Bali and we had to prepare the second edition
while we were also busy moving out. That is why we are late," he said.
Many international news outlets, including Asian Sex Gazette, reported in
recent weeks that Playboy was considering abandoning the publication
completely. This appears to have been an attempt to quell criticism and
distract opponents while the publication moved offices and regrouped.
