Bali decries U.S. travel advisory

DENPASAR, Bali: The Bali Tourist Association (BTB) has sent a letter to the president of the United States asking the U.S. government to review a travel advisory that suggests its citizens suspend visits to some parts of Indonesia.

Copies of the letter, dated Nov. 21, 2000, also were sent to the U.S. secretary of state and the U.S. ambassador to Indonesia, BTB secretary-general Adnyana Sudibya said on Tuesday.

According to Adnyana, the letter was approved and signed by executives of the Bali Hotel and Restaurants Association, the Association of Indonesian Travel Agents, the Indonesian Tour Guide Association and the Bali Tourism Development Corporation.

"We are awaiting a response from the U.S. government. We believe the travel advisory is an overreaction and, in the case of Bali, unjustifiable," he said.

The travel advisory was issued by the U.S. government following an incident in Surakarta, Central Java, in which members of a religious organization went to hotels looking for U.S. citizens.

The letter said threats received by the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta and the "sweep" in Surakarta did not reflect the feelings of the majority of Indonesians, Adnyana said.

"Dissuading its citizens from visiting Indonesia at this time is only an overdramatization," he said.

The letter assured the U.S. government that Bali was a safe and peaceful destination for foreign travelers, including Americans. (zen)