Indonesia: Singing policeman loses his badge

First, Indonesian police were angry about a young policeman's YouTube lip-synching antics. Then, they championed him for softening the image of the force. Now, after he put stardom over police duty, Norman Kamaru has been fired.

The video of 26-year-old Kamaru trying to lift the spirits of a heartbroken colleague by shimmying and lip-synching to the Bollywood hit "Chaiyya Chaiyya" went viral in April. Initially, the top brass was furious. But that changed when the public rallied to support the charismatic young officer. Suddenly, Kamaru was being flown to the capital, flanked by high-ranking officers who smiled as squealing girls begged for his autograph.

Kamaru started appearing regularly on TV in full uniform. Unfortunately, he failed to appear at work. Saud Usman Nasution, spokesman for the police, said Kamaru was dishonourably discharged on Tuesday. "He hasn't shown up for two months." "Who does he think he is? What made him famous was his uniform," said a police spokeswoman, Lisma Dunggio.