Security lessons from the Kuta tragedy<\/p>\n
I Gde Pitana, Contributor, Denpasar<\/p>\n
The peaceful atmosphere of Bali was shattered on Oct. 12, 2002 by
\nthe bombs that claimed more than 184 lives in Kuta. It was one of
\nthe worst tragedies the island has suffered.<\/p>\n
The blast impacted on the economy of the island, which is
\nhighly dependent on tourism. The image of Bali as a safe tourist
\ndestination was left in ruin.<\/p>\n
During the first days after the blast, a great worry reigned
\nthat ethnic conflict would engulf Bali when the angry native
\nBalinese found out the perpetrators were non-Balinese.<\/p>\n
This fear forced representatives of many countries to evacuate
\ntheir citizens from Bali. Then tourists streamed out of Bali a
\nfew days after the bombings.<\/p>\n
Hotel occupancy rates also dropped drastically. Some hotels
\nhad no visitors at all.<\/p>\n
The average October occupancy rate, normally 66.30 percent,
\nwas only 29.58 percent. The rate after the Sept. 11 2002 World
\nTrade Center tragedy was 52.98 percent.<\/p>\n
Tourism has been Bali's development locomotive. A study shows
\nthat 38 percent of job opportunities and 51 percent of people's
\nincomes in Bali were directly related to tourism. If the indirect
\nimpacts were included, these figures would definitely be much
\nhigher. Hotels, restaurants and trade alone contributed around 31
\npercent of the island's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2001.
\nHence, it is not difficult to understand how much the province
\nsuffers because of the tragedy.<\/p>\n
Everybody is sad and shocked. The Balinese people and the
\ngovernment has pledged to make the tragedy a cornerstone to
\ndevelop Bali in a better way.<\/p>\n
The Kuta tragedy has been used as a turning point to keep
\nsecurity of Bali in a stricter way. The bomb must be the first
\nand the last one in Bali.<\/p>\n
The tragedy has reminded us all that Bali has been slack about
\nsecurity.<\/p>\n
As a holiday haven, Bali has not changed. The beach is still
\nthere. The culture is sill there. The friendliness of the people
\nhas not disappeared. But, Bali has lost its image as a safe
\nplace. Since tourism depends significantly on the image, recovery
\nof its image should be the first priority to mend the island's
\ntourism industry.<\/p>\n
Since security is the most crucial issue at present, the local
\ngovernment has given special attention to the subject. Several
\nsecurity measures have been implemented to regain Bali's image as
\na safe tourist haven.<\/p>\n
Firstly, the local government has imposed tight security
\nchecks on people entering the island through several entry
\npoints, such as the Ngurah Rai International airport in Kuta,
\nBenoa Port in southern Bali, Gilimanuk in the west, Padang Bai in
\nKarang Asem, East Bali and Celukan Bawang Harbour in Buleleng,
\nNorth Bali.<\/p>\n
Security checks have been carried out with two approaches. The
\nfirst one is through administrative checking by questioning their
\nidentity cards. Everyone entering the island is required to have
\nan ID card. They should have a clear purpose for their visit and
\nhave references in Bali.<\/p>\n
Secondly, visitors are subject to physical checks. Officials
\nwill carefully check all the items and belongings the visitor
\nbrings to Bali.<\/p>\n
As of Nov. 26, there have been nearly 3000 people denied entry
\nto Bali for a range of security reasons.<\/p>\n
The Balinese traditional community has also imposed stricter
\nregulations in its own communal villages. Bali has 1,376
\ncustomary villages. Each of the villages has been instructed to
\nimpose more intensive and tighter security measures. Those who
\ncannot show their identification will be immediately sent back to
\ntheir hometowns. On Dec. 10 alone, nearly 200 people were sent
\nback to Java by the Denpasar municipality.<\/p>\n
Tight security has also been applied to various events,
\nincluding family gatherings like wedding ceremonies and art
\nperformances.<\/p>\n
Imposing tight security systems in various tourism facilities
\nincluding hotels, restaurants, entertainment center, pubs as well
\nas supermarket is a must for Bali nowadays. Each person entering
\na hotel is subject to tight security checks at its entrance gate.<\/p>\n
The island's tourist resorts are tightly guarded by tourist
\npolice. More importantly, the government has also implemented a
\nnumber of preventive measures and has invited all community
\nmembers on the island to work hand in hand to enhance security in
\ntheir neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
At present, life in Bali is back to normal. Traditional
\nmarkets are as crowded as ever. A number of planned tourism and
\nentertainment events will take place as scheduled.<\/p>\n
It is encouraging that a number of important International
\nevents such as the annual meeting of PATA 2003 annual conference,
\nthe ASEAN summit and World Trade Organization meetings will be
\nheld in Bali. There has been no change in the plans.<\/p>\n
In short, security measures are better overseen following the
\nKuta tragedy.<\/p>\n
The writer is a professor at the Udayana University and
\nHead of Bali's Tourism Office.<\/p>",
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