Chinese Prime Minister takes rest in Bali
I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali
Prime Minister of the People's Republic of China Zhu Rongji arrived in Bali on Friday afternoon for a two-day informal visit.
The China Airlines Boeing 747 carrying Zhu and his 140-strong entourage landed at Ngurah Rai International Airport at 12:15 p.m. local time.
Indonesian Ambassador to China AA Kustia and Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Chen Shiqiu accompanied the prime minister.
Zhu was greeted by local high-ranking officials, including Bali Governor Dewa Made Beratha, Bali Legislative Council chairman Ida Bagus Putu Wesnawa, Udayana Military Commander Maj. Gen. William T. Da Costa and Denpasar City Police chief Sr. Comr. DBM Suharya.
Bali province spokesperson I Gede Nurjaya said no activities for Zhu had been planned for Friday.
"The prime minister will spend the day resting at his hotel," he said.
Zhu and his entourage, which includes dozens of Chinese journalists, are staying at the five-star Ritz Carlton in Jimbaran, some 20 kilometers south of here. The entourage has booked 120 out of the 388 rooms at the hotel.
"His Excellency will stay in the presidential suite on the hotel's lobby level. We have been kindly informed that His Excellency is here solely for leisure and to take a rest, so any disturbance must be avoided," Ritz Carlton public relations manager Keke Hidayat said.
On Saturday, the prime minister is slated to visit the newly opened Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park in Bukit Pecatu, Ungasan, just a few kilometers from the Ritz Carlton. Later in the evening, he and 50 high-ranking Chinese officials will attend a dinner hosted by the governor of Bali.
"The prime minister will leave Bali for Beijing on Saturday night, right after the dinner," Nurjaya said.
Zhu's arrival was marred by a minor incident in which plainclothes Army Capt. David Hutagaol tried to prevent two reporters and two cameramen of the Hong Kong-based Cable News TV from entering the site where the prime minister was to disembark from his plane.
Hutagaol later also prohibited local photographers, saying that an official from the Chinese Embassy had asked him to do so.
"I asked him to identify the Chinese Embassy official, but he couldn't do that. It was illogical, since all the local journalists had special IDs issued by the local military command, and the Hong Kong reporters even had special IDs issued by our Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres)," Kompas daily journalist Brigitta Isworo Laksmi said.
After a heated argument, Hutagaol finally let the local photographers enter the site, but continued to deny entry to the four Hong Kong reporters.
Zhu spent two nights in Jakarta, from where he flew directly to Bali.