IN THIS UPDATE
A Career in Crime Cut Short
Angry Crowd Beats
Purse-snatcher to Death in North Kuta, Bali
Two purse-snatchers who attacked an American woman staying in North Kuta, Bali were descended up by an an angry crowd on Friday, December 30, 2016, resulting in the death of one of the assailants.
The event unfolded on Jalan Paving, Banjar Tegal Gundul, Desa Tibubeneng, North Kuta when Triana Yudi Sanjaya of West Denpasar and Bagas of Surabaya tried to steal the bags of Carly Rebecca Johnston, a teacher from America, who was crossing the road at the time of the incident.
The two men came down the road on a motorcycle snatching the handbag of Johnston containing a handphone and Rp. 50,000,
The woman screamed as her bag was being stolen and ran after the two men on the fleeing motorcycle.
15 minutes later, an angry crowd in hot pursuit subdued the two men. Set upon by the crowd, the two men were pummeled resulting in the death of Bagas and critical injuries to Sanjaya.
Spice of Life Now Costs Much More in Bali
Bad Weather Blamed for
Skyrocketing Price of Chili Peppers in Bali
Officially considered an essential food commodity by the Indonesian Government, the price chilies or “cabe” in Bali has risen dramatically.
The spicy additive that is considered an essential food in many Indonesian recipes passed the Rp. 100,000 per kilogram mark on January 2, 2017.
Locally, chilies are seen as the ultimate “feel good” or "comfort food"- a fact scientifically supported given "cabe’s" ability to release calming endorphins into the system once ingested.
As a result, the price of chilies in the market place is not only a subject of popular discussion, but can also be linked to consumer confidence.
One housewife shopping at the Cokroaminoto Market in Denpasar told Radar Bali that on New Year’s Day that the cost of a "bird’s eye chili" (cabe rawit) momentarily passed the Rp. 120,000 per kilogram mark before stabilizing at the still-high position of around Rp. 100,000 per kilogram.
In more normal times, a kilogram of "Cabe Rawit" cost between Rp. 20,000 and Rp. 25,000.
Observers blame the increased price on failed chili crops linked to excessive rains and price gouging over the Christmas and New Year period by local farmers.
At local markets in Bali where chilies are normally purchased in lots of one or two kilograms, shoppers now treat the commodity with great care, purchasing only one or two hundred grams at a time.
Other kitchen spices, including garlic and tomatoes, have also increased in price over recent weeks.
Garlic that once sold at Rp. 32,000 per kilogram now costs RP. 35,000, while tomatoes have risen from Rp. 5,000 per kilogram to Rp. 6,000.
Consumers are also complaining that not only has the price of chilies increased but, in general terms, the quality of the chilies being sold is on the decline.
Captain Tekad's Wings Gets Clipped
Bizarre Behaviour by Citilink
Airbus 320 Pilot Results in Firing and Revocation of Pilot’s License
Kompas.com reports that the Ministry of Transportation has decided to revoke the pilot’s license of Citilink Captain Tekad Purna Agniamamarto who was removed from the cockpit of an Airbus A320 jet in Surabaya on Thursday, December 28, 2016, after exhibiting a range of erratic behaviors.
The decision to end the Indonesian pilot's aviation career was announced by the Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi on Wednesday, January 4, 2017, following a meeting with leading air safety officials in Tangerang, West Java. Among those participating in the meeting that decided the pilot’s fate were the Director General of Civil Aviation, the head of the District I Airport Authority, the CEO of Angkasa Pura II, the CEO of Angkasa Pura I, the CEO of Airnav Indonesia and a Deputy of the National Anti-Narcotics Agency (BNN).
Budi Karya said, “We wish to advise that Captain Tekad has had his pilot license revoked because there is sufficient evidence to do so.”
At the same time, Minister Budi Karya left to BNN to process the Indonesian pilot further and determine if a crime had been committed. The Minister did not identify the exact effective date of the revocation of Captain Tekad’s pilot’s license.
Continuing, Budi Karya said: “Whether or not there is a civil or criminal case (to be answered), we leave to BNN. We have done our best to control not only the pilot and crew, but to also prevent the entrance of narcotics into Indonesia via the Nation’s airports.”
Meanwhile, the BNN Deputy, Inspector General Arma Depari, explained that his office had already examined the pilot of the Citilink flight. That inspection included laboratory tests and verbal interviews. Adding: “In this connection, we will undertake laboratory test connected to the misuse of a narcotic substance. We have taken a urine sample, blood sample and hair follicle sample. We have also assessed the behavior and general health of the pilot.”
Depari said that in the course of interviewing the pilot behavior anomalies were detected. This behavior, however, was not definite proof of narcotics use, with the results of further tests in this area still outstanding.
The Citilink pilot became a viral topic on social media when he was caught on CCTV cameras and handphone cameras acting in what was seen as an intoxicated manner as he passed through security checks, entered the cockpit and made largely incoherent pre-flight announcements. The pilot was removed from the cockpit by fellow crew member and passengers before he was able to take off.
Within 72 hours of the incident the CEO of Citilink Indonesia and operations manager of the Airline both tendered their resignations.
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An Unholy Trinity
Police Arrest Peruvian Trio
for Stealing from ATMs
Three Peruvian nationals have been apprehended in Jakarta in a joint operation conducted by police in Sidoarjo and Denpasar, Bali.
Police arrested Roberto Castro De La Cuba (35), Jose William Salazar Ortiz (37) and Frankho Pizarro Solano (28) at the D’Zire Guest House in Jakarta on Sunday, January 1, 2017.
Beritabali.com quoted Nyoman Artana, the Deputy Chief of the Denpasar, and Reinhard Habonaran Nainggolan of the Criminal Division of the Denpasar Police Precinct who confirmed the three men were tracked down after a BCA ATM on Jalan Tangkuban Perahu in Denpasar was robbed on Monday, November 28, 2016. Following the theft, the three men fled to Sidoarjo in East Java and subsequently to Jakarta.
Police were able to identify the three foreigners via CCTV recordings and reports of eyewitnesses.
The three men were tracked to their accommodation address in Jakarta where police arrested them in a coordinated raid. Police are also seeking a local man who assisted in the robbery.
In the robbery of the ATM a total of Rp. 200 million was stolen. Police also linked the group to robberies of two other ATMs in which Rp. 400 million was stolen.
The men told police that the money was spent at entertainment spots in Bali and Jakarta.
The three Peruvian entered Indonesia on tourist visas.
A New Gateway to West Bali?
Banyuwangi, East Java to Have
Direct Flights from Jakarta Starting in April 2017
Kompas.com reports that the Ministry of Transportation has announced an intention to establish a new air route connecting Jakarta and Banyuwangi in East Java.
The new air route is set to commence in April 2017 and would offer a faster connection from Jakarta to both East Java, and West and North Bali that are separated by only a short ferry ride from Banyuwangi.
During a visit to the new passenger terminal at the Blimbingsari Banyuwangi Airport on Saturday, December 31, 2016, told the press that the flight operations to East Java await the upgrading of the Airport’s runway from a classification “29” pavement to a stronger classification “40” status.
The runway at Banyuwangi is also being widened to 35-meters.
The cost of runway and apron improvements at Banyuwangi is part of an airport upgrade that has cost the Transportation Ministry Rp. 50 billion.
The long-term planning of the Transportation Ministry is to eventually make Banyuwangi’s Blimbingsari Airport an international gateway to the many nearby tourist attractions in East Java and Northwest Bali.
Lingering Less Longer in Bali
Travel Professionals Shocked
by 20% Drop in Length of Stay for Bali Visitors
Metrobali.com says officials of the Indonesian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (ASITA) have expressed alarm over a sudden and significant drop in length-of-stay for tourists coming to Bali.
Figures revealed by ASITA report that the average-length-of-stay is down from 3.9 days to 3.1 days.
The President of ASITA, Asnawi Bahar, said on Thursday, January 5, 2017, that foreign tourist arrivals to Bali have surpassed 4.8 million in 2016, a number that is 21% more than 2015, while, at the same time, the length-of-stay is down by an almost equivalent 20%.
Bahar said ASITA is trying to determine the causes of the dramatic decline in length-of-stay.
Bahar said that Bali is suffering from a severe over-supply of hotel rooms: “Stop the addition of hotels and travel agents. Prevent the operation of illegal travel agents and add more travel guides in order to maximize service.” He called on the new leadership of the ASITA-Bali chapter for the period 2016-2020 to undertake coordination with the government and vendors to enforce existing laws. He also said the visa-free policy now in place needs further evaluation.
“I mention the free visa policy and the need to evaluate it because our struggle has not received a positive response from the Government,” said Bahar. He complained that the visa policy has failed to increase tourist numbers and created many problems. He blamed the visa-free policy as having caused a decline in the quality of tourists visiting Indonesia. At the same time, he said, the supervision of the visa-free policy has been weak.
The ASITA chairman called for closer supervision of tourist by immigration authorities.
Bahar complained that there are many foreign travel agencies working in Indonesia illegally, failing to form joint operations with existing local operators and refusing to employ licensed local guides.
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A Leap of Despair
Police Now Suspect Suicide in
Death of Man Who Fell 100-Meter from Uluwatu Temple into the Indian Ocean
A Bali tourist from Surakarta, Central Java, Kwan Anto Randy Saputro (57) fell to his death from the 100-meter cliff face at Uluwatu, South Bali on Wednesday, January 4, 2017.
Balipost.com reports that Saputro was visiting the area with his wife, Auw Jang Phin Khuan (51), at the time of the incident. The exact circumstances surrounding the man’s fall remain unclear, but witnesses say he climb over a barrier fence before presumably jumping over the rock face into the ocean below.
Moments before falling from the cliff, Saputro handed his handphone and wallet to his wife, telling her didn’t want the monkeys roaming the temple to take those items.
Police from South Kuta now theorize that Saputro may have taken his own life by leaping off the cliff. Police are basing their suspicions on detailed interviews with eyewitnesses who saw the man jum into the ocean and discussions with the man’s wife. That the man had handed his handphone to his wife make it unlikely that his decision to climb over the fence was done in order to take a "selfie."
NusaBali quotes the head of the South Kuta Police Precinct who said his officers now strongly suspect the Central Javanese man took his own life
The local manager of the Uluwatu Temple Complex called police at 12:15 pm, telling search and rescue officials that the man was floating in the surf and not moving. A 25-man rescue team arrived a short time later when a two officers rappelled down the cliff to the ocean’s surface to rig a hoist to bring the man’s body back to the top of the cliff.
Because of the challenges posed by the terrain, the recovery of Saputro’s body required two hours.
Wally Gator, Macerator
Conservations Officials
Continue Efforts to Catch Crocodiles Lurking in Denpasar, Bali River Delta
Continuing reports of a wild crocodiles living in the waters of the Rangda River near Jalan Pamelisan in Suwung, South Denpasar are causing growing concern among local residents and also receiving serious attention by Denpasar’s Mayor IB Rai Dharmawijaya Mantra.
Beritabali.com reports that on Tuesday, January 3, 2016, Rai Mantra accompanied by officers of the Bali Conservation and Natural Resource Department (BKSDA), the head of the Denpasar Public Works Department (PU) and village leaders visited the section of the river where sightings of the crocodile have been reported.
Denpasar’s Mayor called on the public to remain calm while exercising caution when conducting activities, such as fishing, near or on the Rangda River, saying he remained confident that BKSDA Bali has the matter well in hand.
Meanwhile a fisherman who works in the area told the press that he believes there is more than one crocodile living in the river, with the reptiles measuring between one and two meters in length.
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A Garlanded Linda Garland
Linda Garland - Champion of
Bali Style and Founder of Environmental Bamboo Foundation Dies in Australia
On Tuesday, January 3, 2017, Bali lost another expatriate of legendary stature when Linda Garland succumbed after a long battle with pancreatic cancer in Lorne, Victoria. Australia.
Born in Newry, County Down, Northern Ireland 70 year ago, Linda Garland grew up on a landed estate before bringing her indefatigable force-of-nature personality to the vibrant cultural renaissance underway in London in the 60s and 70s.
After suffering horrendous injuries in a car accident in her 20s during a visit to Italy that necessitated months of hospitalization, Garland recovered and embarked on tours of parts unknown, a journey that eventually brought her to the Island of Bali in 1974 - an encounter leaving both Garland and the Island forever changed.
In Bali, she married Indonesian Amir Rebik with whom she mothered two sons, Amir and Karim. Garland passionately embraced her new home and its cultural identities that complemented her interests in interior design. Along the way, Garland became one of the earliest proponents in a design movement that would become internationally known as “Bali Style.”
Garland’s admiration for Indonesian objets d’art resulted in the establishment of ten factories producing interior elements for international export.
This in turn led to international commissions to create luxury homes for a long list of luminaries that included, among others - David Bowie and Mick Jagger.
Concerned that mankind’s consumptive compulsions threatens the natural world, Garland was an early pioneer in the Bali-based movement to promote the international use of bamboo – a plant Garland described as “nature’s miracle” and a solution to the rampant destructive deforestation of the world’s jungles.
In 1991, Linda Garland established the Environmental Bamboo Foundation (EBF) - an organization dedicated to exploring new uses for Bamboo in the global effort to preserve the environment. Then in 1995, Garland was the moving force behind an international Bamboo Congress held in Bali that brought unprecedented international focus on the positive benefits on the new uses of bamboo promoted by EBF. Covered by the world media including CNN’s Elsa Klench, the conference headquartered at the iconic Four Seasons Resort on Jimbaran Bay and was formally opened by the Indonesian Minister of the Environment, Sarwono Kusumaatmadja
Starting from her devoutly-help premise that there was little that couldn’t be made from Bamboo, the transplanted Irishwomen set about creating her celebrated Linda Garland Estate in Nyuh Kuning, 80% of which was made from Bamboo, The Estate was the focus of repeated coverage by Architectural Digest and a film location for the film Eat, Pray Love.
Architectural Digest also named Garland to their “AD 100” list of the world’s most influential designers.
Linda eventually sold her beloved estate, relocating in recent years to the remote Island of Rote in Eastern Indonesia that had a drier climate more amenable to Garland's precarious health.
Image with kind permission of Rio Helmi
A Chiefly Welcome to Bali
Police Inspector General
Petrus Reinhard Golose Inaugurated as Bali’s Top Cop
Bali’s new Chief of Police, Petrus Reinhard Golose, formally arrived in Bali on Thursday, January 5, 2016, to participate in a change-of-command ceremony with outgoing Police Chief Sugeng Priyanto at Police Headquarters.
NusaBali reports that Golose has announced he will focus on fighting narcotics and terrorism as he embarks on his new assignment as Bali’s top policeman.
The welcoming ceremony commenced at 2:30 pm when his arrival was marked by dances performed by students from a local Junior High School. This was followed by brief speeches of welcome, personally delivered by each the chiefs of each of the many police precincts operating in Bali, that proceded the formal ceremonial change of command.
Petrus Golose comes to Bali after assignments in combating international terrorism, including investigative assignments in Bali following the terrorist bombings of 2002 and 2005.
He also was one of the leaders of a team of anti-terror specialist that traced Malaysian Dr. Azhari to a location in Malang, East Java, in November of 2005, where the notorious terrorist was shot and killed. Golose’s active participation in that raid resulted in a rapid promotion in rank and a special award from the Indonesian Police Command.
Sugeng Priyanto leaves his police career to become a Director General at the Indonesian Department of Manpower.
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He Sang a Song of Bali
Dutch-Australian Musicologist
Richard Kaal Has Died in Bali
Richard Kaal, a Dutch-born Australian musicologist died on Saturday, January 7, 2017 at his adopted home on the slopes of sacred Mount Batukaru.
Immigrating with his family to Australia in 1955, Richard struck out on his own as a professional musician working and living in the Kings Cross area of Sydney.
A versatile and talented musician and singer, Richard Kaal performed in professional productions of the musicals “Hair” and “Jesus Christ Superstar,” including performing the title role in the latter.
During the early 1970s Kaal was under contract with EMI records.
Music and a love of sailing eventually brought Kaal to Bali where he settled with his family in Sarinbuana in Tabanan, in the shadow of Mount Batukaru.
Enthusiastically embracing the culture and music of his adopted home, Kaal undertook important work in documenting and recording Balinese Classical Music and consulting two local education and musical foundations.
The mountain song, "Batukaru", Richard Kaal , 'Gender Fusion'
Level 21 Mall – A Criminal Matter?
Police Investigating Possible
Criminal Violations by Level 21 Mall in Denpasar
Beritabali.com reports that the Criminal Division of the Bali Police continue to investigate reports of criminal violations and the illegal expropriation of land in the construction of the Level 21 Mall on Jalan Teuku Umar in Bali’s capital of Denpasar.
Police investigators have undertaken inspection visits to the Mall’s location and viewed the permits and licenses for the building.
Police say the results of their investigation will soon be made public.
Meanwhile, the chairman of Commission III of the Denpasar House of Representatives (DPRD-Denpasar), Eko Supriyadi, is issuing calls that the umbrella-covered cafes located at the front of the mall be closed and the space returned to its proper role as parking to help the Mall meet its regulatory requirement for minimal parking area.
Eko also wants the exit on the eastern side of the Mall closed because it is not in keeping with the approved plans and is seen as causing traffic jams on Jalan Diponegoro.
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North Bali in Demand for Cruise Ship Visits
North Bali Port of Celukan
Bawang Inadequate for Large Cruise Ship Visits
In the early decades of the 20th century, all passenger and cruise ships visiting Bali called at the northern port of Celukan Bawang where passengers disembarked their ships and traveled overland to Denpasar where limited hotel and tourist services were available.
With Bali’s growing popularity as a port-of-call for cruise ships, the north Bali port of Celukan Bawang is enjoying renewed popularity as more and more passenger ships are stopping on the Island’s north shore.
Mainly used for cargo and goods ships, the Celukan Bawang Port lacks the needed supporting infrastructure for cruise ships carrying hundreds of passengers. Managed by the State-owned company PT Pelindo III, Celukan Bawang can only accommodate vessels with a maximum length of 200 meters.
Quoted by Balipost.com, PT Pelindo's Commercial Manager at Celukan Bawang, Irfan Adistya, said five cruise ships visited the port in 2016.
Adistya said that the current condition of the pier at Celukan Bawang was inadequate for cruise ship service. With a length of 160 meters, the pier can only berth ships with a maximum length of 200 meters. Many ships wishing to call at the port are longer than 200 meters.
Vines in Decline
North Bali Grape Growers
Encountering Lower Prices and Lower Yields
Farmers in North Bali are complaining that recent heavy rains have put Bali’s grape harvest under threat.
As reported by Bisnis Bali and Bali Post, farmers warn that the continuing, heavy rains will adversely affect the coming harvest of grapes .
Made Srinadi, a grape farmer from Dencarik, North Bali, is worried that the rains will turn grape leaves black, foster inimical mold on the fruit and prevent the grape vines from flowering. “Grape crops need dry soil, the grape leaves are threatened with turning black if subjected to continuous rain,” he said.
Many grapes that are being harvested have gone rotten, reducing crop yields by as much as 50%. Farmers trying to improve the yield are faced with the challenge of the higher cost of spaying herbicides on a regular basis to grow grapes that are fetching low prices in the marketplace.
Grape growers in North Bali are currently selling their produce at Rp. 8,000 per kilogram when last year they managed higher prices of between Rp. 12,000 and Rp. 15,000 per kilogram
Dallying No More with Dalimore
Unruly English Tourist Being
Shown the Door at Several Bali Hotels
The Facebook page of the Badung Police Precinct and DenPost report that an angry and obstreperous Englishman, Mark Dalimore (54), was asked to leave the Four Point Hotel on Jalan Cenderawasih at Batubeliq, North Kuta on Wednesday, January 4, 2016.
Reports say the Englishman who is originally from Southhampton, was accused of frequently creating disturbances and upsetting the other clients of the hotel over four days before being shown the door.
Security personnel at the hotel sought the assistance of North Kuta Police in handling the man who was abusive to both guests and hotel personnel. When a team of officers arrived at the hotel to verify reports of a possible disturbance, they discovered that similar reports of unruly behavior by the man had been received from 4 other hotels used by the guest during his current stay in Bali, including the Le Meridien Jimbaran, Four Point Seminyak, Four Point Petitenget and the Hotel Stala in Ubud.
The Four Point Hotel sought the assistance of the police assist by standing by as the hotel ejected Dalimore from the premises.
After discussions with the Hotel’s management that were monitored by local police, Dalimore took his possessions and left the hotel by motorcycle.
RIP Dewa Ngakan Made Ari Setya Laksana
Ari Setya of Bali Great Events
Dies Following a Domestic Dispute in Denpasar
Dewa Ngakan Made Ari Setya Laksana (40) – a well-known event organizer in Bali has died in a domestic dispute on Tuesday, January 3, 2017.
Ari Setya of Bali Great Events had just returned to his home on Jalan Moyo X, Number 5 in Denpasar when he became engage in an angry altercation with his wife, Emi Subiantini (41), that was witnessed by their 15-year-old daughter and a domestic helper.
In the struggle, both Ari Seyta and his wife suffered knife wounds that in the case of Ary Setya proved fatal with the event organizer dying shortly after arriving at the emergency room of Bali’s Sanglah General Hospital.
As reported by NusaBali, Police continue to investigate the case to determine if criminal charges will be made against Subiantini.
The Final Word?
Government to Order Final
Review of Benoa Bay Reclamation by World Bank and Udayana University
In what is seen as a step to end a lingering dispute over plans for the reclamation of Benoa Bay by PT PT Tirta Wahana Bali Internasional (TWBI), the Government is ordering that the entire project undergo a new review be undertaken by The World Bank and Bali’s Udayana University.
The Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, has ordered the new study.
Interview by The Bali Post and Bali TV on Tuesday, January 3, 2017, Panjaitan said: “A new study will be conducted on the reclamation of Benoa Bay. The Government will involve The World Bank and Udayana University in this study. It is hoped that the (new) study will be scientifically based and independent, also taking into consideration the environmental and Balinese cultural aspects."
The Minister did not stipulate when the new study would be completed, but confirmed he had already discussed the matter with the Rector of Udayana University.
“We want the best for the planning and management of this beach area. We hope the study will be independent and can end the ongoing polemic,” Panjaitan said. Adding, “Feasible or not, it all depends on the results of the Udayana-World Bank study.”
Please Don’t Beat the Kiddies!
West Bali Police Chief Asks
Public Not to Dispense Street Justice
Following the recent humiliation and beating of two teenage boys, aged 14 and 17, by an angry crowd the head of the West Denpasar Police Precinct, Wisnu Wardana, has urged the public not to undertake street justice when people are caught in criminal acts.
The two boys were caught stealing a Rp. 7,500 rice packet from a local food vendor when they were caught, stripped of their clothing, beaten and had the motorcycle they were driving burned by angry bystanders.
Wardana said that while the case was still being processed by the police, a decision was made to return the minor boys to the care of their parents.
Wardana reminded the public that the reaction of the public was disproportionate given the age of the boys, that they were hungry when they took the inexpensive food parcel, and the bike that was burnt had been borrowed from a friend.
The street justice took place on New Year's Eve 2016 on Jalan Cekromaria in North Bali.The two teenagers were illegally operating a motorcycle late at night on New Year’s Eve when they stole a packet of rice from a local trader.
In similar cases in the future, Wardana asked the public to turn over the perpetrators to the police and not administer on-the-spot punishments.
The two badly bruised and battered boys are now under an obligation to report to the police twice each week until their case is handed over to prosecutors.
Police Evict Villagers on Serangan Island
36 Families on Serangan
Island, South Denpasar Evicted from Their Traditional Homesteads
1,200 police personnel were deployed on Tuesday, January 3, 2017, to execute a court order and clear a 9,400 square meter section of land at Kampung Bugis on Serangan Island, South Denpasar.
Police leveled 36 private homes in what turned into a violent confrontation between the villagers and police. One plain-clothed policeman suffered a spear wound in the street battle that saw fully-outfitted riot police push back a large group of villagers trying to prevent the entrance of heavy equipment sent to level their homesteads.
Rushed to the Prima Medika Hospital for emergency surgery with the fishing spear still embedded in his thigh was Wayan Suartika an intelligence officer from the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) of the Bali Police.
Police took 10 men under arrest in the course of the confrontation, most apprehended for carrying weapons.
Police have also arrested a man to be charged with inflicting the spear wound to the leg of Suartika.
The order to evacuate the land by resident of the traditional fishing villages was made final by a Supreme Court ruling after a lengthy multi-year appeal process.
Sorting out the Chaos of Ubud
Gianyar Regency Trying to
Improve Tourist Experience for Ubud Visitors
Bali Post reports that the Regency of Gianyar has identified four main areas requiring attention to increase tourism to Ubud and its surrounding areas.
Speaking on Monday, January 2, 2017, the head of the Gianyar Tourism Department, AA Ari Brahmanta, said the four main areas of focus for both the Government and private sector in Gianyar for 2017 are:
·
Traffic
Congestion
·
Cleanliness
·
Environmental
Preservation
·
Security
Brahmanta said that finding solutions in the four areas would require
the cooperation and support of all elements of the community.
He said Gianyar is also working to develop new tourist destinations outside Ubud in order to relieve the pressure on the popular tourist center.
He said Gianyar is also working to develop new tourist destinations outside Ubud in order to relieve the pressure on the popular tourist center.
A Shortage of Ships
Port of Benoa in Bali
Experiences a Decline in Cruise Ship Visits and Total Passengers Handled in
2016
PT Pelindo III – the operators of Bali’s Port of Benoa blame bad weather and concerns over security as the cause of eight cruise ships canceling visits to Bali in 2016.
As reported by RadarBali.com, the cancellations of port visits in 2016 resulted in PT Pelindo III failing to reach its target of 60 ship visits for the entire year.
Among the cruise ships cancelling one or multiple Bali visits in 2016 were Celebrity Solstice, Celebrity Millennium, and Radiance of The Seas – citing security concerns as the reasons. Meanwhile, the Pacific Eden abandoned its Bali visit due to poor weather conditions.
In 2015, cruise ships carried 68,713 foreign tourists to Bali, declining slightly to 68,060 tourists in 2016.
Pelindo II is targeting to increase cruise visits to Bali in 2017 by 10%.
Work is underway to extend the length of the current pier by 50 meters to accommodate larger cruise ship visits. Work on the extension is expected to be completed by mid-year 2017.
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