Bali looks like war zone on the eve of Bush's visit, locals indifferent
Bali looks like war zone on the eve of Bush's visit, locals indifferent
The Jakarta Post, Kuta/Surabaya/Mataram
The planned visit of U.S. President George W. Bush to Bali has
transformed Bali's popular tourist destination Kuta and its
Ngurah Rai airport into a fortress, with soldiers and police
roaming around the vicinity in full battle gear.
Authorities tightened security on Tuesday in and around Ngurah
Rai and Patra Bali Hotel, where President Megawati Soekarnoputri
and her U.S. counterpart Bush are scheduled to meet on Wednesday.
U.S. security authorities have also blocked almost three
quarters of the hotel compound, just five minutes drive from the
airport, making it extremely difficult for hotel guests to move
around.
"I have been receiving complaints (from hotel guests) since
this morning. It is inconvenient for them to move around with so
many soldiers standing at every corner of the hotel," a member of
the hotel's staff told The Jakarta Post on condition of
anonymity.
Walk-through metal detectors have been placed at every
entrance and only people with identification cards provided by
the government are able to move easily around the hotel.
Six Indonesian warships are also standing by and attracted the
attention of hotel guests who could spot them from the beach.
Sources told the Post that around 200 U.S. marines were also
staying in the hotel and 20 more rooms have been booked for the
presidential entourage, including two presidential suites
reserved for Bush and his wife Laura Bush.
For security reasons, authorities will close down the airport
for at least three hours on Wednesday, forcing around 25 flights
in and out of the island to be rescheduled.
The U.S. authority has also limited media coverage to 30 local
journalists and 20 American journalists traveling with Bush in
the Air Force One.
"The rest of the media are not allowed to go near the venue,"
a member of the Indonesian presidential staff said.
Bush is slated to arrive at 11:05 a.m. local time. After
resting for ten minutes, 25-minutes of bilateral talks with
President Megawati are scheduled, with lunch afterward.
Two press conferences have been scheduled for Wednesday, the
first after lunch, when the two presidents will issue a joint
statement on terrorism. The second will be held after Bush holds
a 30-minute dialog with Indonesian religious leaders.
Nahdlatul Ulama Chairman Hasyim Muzadi, Muhammdiyah Chairman
Syafii Maarif, noted Islamic scholar Azyumardi Azra and Chairman
of Indonesian Churches Council (PGI) Chairman Nathan Setiabudi
have been invited to meet Bush.
Meanwhile, students across the country held protests against
Bush's visit to Bali, where powerful bomb explosions, blamed on
regional terrorist group Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) killed over 200
people in October 2002.
In neighboring city Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara province,
dozens of university students took to the streets furious over
Bush's visit to Bali.
"There is only one word for Bush's visit to Bali...reject!"
the students shouted.
In Surabaya, East Java, students and Muslim activists also
staged a protest before the highly-guarded U.S. General Council
to object to Bush's presence in Bali.
During the rally, the protesters burned a picture of President
Bush.
"Let us join hands rejecting Bush," the protesters said.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, some local Balinese were reportedly
ambivalent about President Bush's visit to the resort island.
"I do not really care, his visit will not change anything
around here, we will just move along with our activities," a
local Kuta resident, Agung, told the Post.
Another local Balinese, Gusti, said that Bali people never
gave any special attention to these kind of visits.
"The most important thing is that tourists still come here,"
he said.