ASEAN countries to help promote Bali

ASEAN countries to help promote Bali

Tiarma Siboro and I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

Following the terror attacks in Bali, which have severely
crippled tourism there, ambassadors from Southeast Asian
countries vowed on Wednesday to join efforts to promote Bali as a
tourist destination.

ASEAN ambassadors to Indonesia told Bali Governor Dewa Made
Bharata on Wednesday that their countries would not issue travel
advisories on Indonesia, moreover Bali, to their citizens.

"We have also said that our governments are ready to cooperate
with Indonesia to promote Bali, so that it will become once again
the country's number one tourist destination," Singapore
Ambassador to Indonesia Edward Lee said after the meeting.

Lee, however, did not elaborate on how ASEAN countries would
work together to promote Bali.

Lee, nevertheless, said that the recovery of tourism in Bali
would also very much depend on the efforts of the Indonesian
government as well as the Bali administration to ensure the
safety of tourists visiting the island.

He said that the ambassadors also advised the governor on how
to make Bali safe and attractive again to tourists.

"We believe that the people of Bali have a very strong spirit
to make this recovery," Lee told reporters after the meeting.

Also present at the meeting were Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen
Dang Quang, Brunei Ambassador Mohd. Amil Abdul Rahim, Lao
Ambassador Leuane Sombounkham, Myanmar Ambassador Kyaw Myint,
Philippine Ambassador Rafel E. Seguis and senior diplomats from
Malaysia and Thailand.

Ambassador Seguis, meanwhile, said that the Philippine
government had been working closely with the Indonesian and
Malaysian governments to address the problem of terrorism.

Seguis said that Manila would host a regional meeting on
terrorism sometime in November to discuss effective measures to
combat terrorists operating in the region.