Bali decries U.S. travel advisory

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)