Bali does not deserve black-list

DENPASAR: There are no good grounds for putting Bali on the international tourist destination black-list as the October 2002 bomb blasts could have happened anywhere, not only in Bali, said Badung deputy regent I Made Sumer at Kadonganan beach, Kuta, on Monday.

Sumer made the statement while hosting some 100 readers of Germany's biggest tabloid Bild.

It was the second visit by Bild readers. The first group were in Bali from June 14 to June 17.

The group's leader, Rhemhold Thiel, said the group members were expected to share their experiences and accounts on what was going on in Bali with other Bild readers back home.

The group had obtained free flights and accommodation from a number sponsors for their four-day visit, which ends Tuesday.

Sumer hoped that the visit could restore the image of Bali as a safe haven for tourists after the Bali bomb blasts killed more than 200 lives and destroyed the tourist industry there.-- Antara