Monday, November 2, 2015

BALI…Latest Updates…Om Swastiastu ...



This is the 1,000th edition of Bali Update that has been published without fail for more than 17 years since March of 1998. If you’ve been reading Bali Update over all or some of those years, we're sure you’ll agree the changes in Bali have been remarkable. We hope you’ll consider supporting us by advertising with Balidiscovery.com and Bali Update to help keep the news flowing on matters related to Bali tourism to our 40,000 subscribers.

Leading the news this week: Discussions continue between Indian and Indonesian authorities on the extradition of a serial killer from Bali. A private yacht has been hijacked by pirates while sailing between Lombok and Bali. And, a Bali travel agent has been arrested by Police for apparently absconding with money paid for a Singapore study tour by a group of Balinese university students.

In an effort to crack down on illegal foreign workers in Bali, Immigration authorities have announced that travelers using visa-free or visa-on-arrival facilities more than twice in twelve months will be refused entry to Bali.

Are property rules changing in Indonesia? By my estimation, not much! Read my take on land ownership by foreigners in Bali and the possibly rocky hold ahead for many foreigners and their nominees.

The National Police Chief has issued guidelines and procedures designed to curb hate speech in Indonesia.

President Widodo has promised to push to allow dual nationality for Indonesians and in so doing has earned applause from thousands of members of the Indonesian Diaspora Network.

We have three articles on Bali’s Toll Road. Fares increased on the Mandara Toll on November 1, 2015. Toll operators complain traffic levels on the road are still insufficient to cover loan repayments and operating expenses. And, the use of cashless e-money on the toll road is still struggling to become popular.

News on Bali’s Labor front: The National government has made a strategic retreat on plans to introduce a range of new labor regulations deemed to be inimical to foreign workers. 20,000 tourism industry workers in Bali will undergo competency testing before the end of the year, And, guide fees for official guide service are slated to increase 35% in 2016.

In Hotel News, the Westin Resort Nusa Dua appoints a new executive chef.

Aviation News: Citilink Indonesia and Garuda Indonesia begin to count the large losses caused by haze from forest fires in certain parts of the Country. And, new rules now mean Indonesian officials will have to carry their own hand luggage and board commercial flights minus any assistance from obsequiously fawning subordinates,

Health News: The Bali Red Cross held its annual meeting to strategize how to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS. Bali’s Governor pledges the Bali Mandara Hospital now under construction will offer an integrated standard of medical service. And, a crowd-funding project is underway to establish a HIV Clinic and Counseling Center in the former home of murdered American expatriate Paul Latourell.

From the Bali X Files: Villagers in West Bali have exhumed the unmarked graves of neighbors cut down in the anti-communist purge of 1965 in order to restore spiritual balance to their community.

You can’t hit a moving target! We cover the ever-changing tourism targets being set by the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism.

 

Looking Ahead:


 

Keep the news coming and advertise your products on Bali Discovery and Bali Update

Support the advertisers who make Bali Update possible.

Follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/BaliUpdateEd

Follow us on FaceBook at http://www.facebook.com/balidiscovery

 

Om Çanti Çanti Çanti Om ...

J.M. Daniels,
Editor Bali Update
Bali Discovery Tours
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)