Ride For Peace
JJ in city to promote brotherhood
Shahriar Robin
Jeffrey Rony Polnaja, who is on a world tour on motorbike, said he hopes that his visit to Bangladesh would stir up the spirit of brotherhood and peace in the hearts of Bangladesh people. Talking to journalists at a press conference at the Indonesian embassy in Dhaka yesterday, he said he chose two-wheeler for his Ride For Peace, the theme of his tour, since it gave him access to the people from all walks of life. Jeffery, popularly known as JJ, said he began his Ride For Peace on April 23 this year and has so far visited nine countries. He has plans to visit 100 countries in five years. He was, however, unable to ride into Bangladesh because the authorities in Bangkok told him that it was too risky for him to ride through Myanmar as 'landslides may occur'. He flew to Dhaka on the 20th of this month but his motorbike arrived on Wednesday. Asked what he thinks about Bangladesh he said the Bangladeshi people are great but the traffic condition in Dhaka was appalling. He apologised for the delayed start of the conference as he was stuck in heavy traffic after going for a spin in the city. Ambassador of Indonesia in Dhaka Warmas Hasan Saputra in his speech said Jeffery had sold his rubber business to embark upon the journey and he ought to be encouraged and praised. Talking about his motorbike, he said he was riding a BMW R1150GS limited edition adventure bike, which has an outstanding reliability record and very capable of handling the terrain it would be exposed to. He said his world tour has been divided into two stages and the first include 45 countries in 750 days. The 44-year-old motorbike enthusiast is supposed to leave Bangladesh on Tuesday for India and then to Bhutan, Nepal before heading for the Middle East. He said his contract with the sponsors ends after the first stage and he would return to Indonesia in the hope of getting sponsors for the second leg of the tour. When asked how he felt about tobacco sponsorship for his tour, Jeffery said he does not promote smoking but a tobacco company promotes him. The father of two said he prays for Bangladesh and hopes the people of Bangladesh would pray for him, so that he has a safe tour. Jeffery is also the Off Road motorbike champion in the United States and a champion horseback rider in Indonesia.
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