Consuls urge more visible security

DENPASAR: Foreign consuls here have asked for assurance from Badung regent Anak Agung Gde Agung on the efforts to maintain security in the regency, particularly in the aftermath of Oct. 1 bombing in its tourism magnets of Kuta and Jimbaran.

R. Jantzen, German honorary consul in Bali, had asked the regent to ensure a permanent security practice.

"The Badung regency should work out a sustainable and methodical security effort," Jantzen was quoted by Antara as saying on Friday.

He suggested that uniform security officers patrol the areas. He said that the presence of security officers in tourism sites created a sense of security.

Jantzen also said the regent should prevent bird flu from spreading in Bali. "If a bird flu epidemic hits Bali, it will immediately lose its attractiveness to tourists," he said on the sidelines of a lunch with the regent in Kuta.

I Gusti Bagus Yudhara, the Mexican consul in Bali, also shared Jantzen's concern.

"We hope there will be a sustainable effort, not just a temporary one," he said. He also suggested the authorities build a database to detect potential criminals.

Regent Gde Agung assured the foreigners that there would be continuous efforts to maintain security.

He said after the Oct. 1 bombing, police had been patrolling crime hot spots. Volunteers from the local community are being trained by the police to help in the patrol.

He said that he would issue a regulation obliging hotels and entertainment centers to install a Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance camera as a minimum security standard. "In a long run, we plan to install CCTVs at all public places and tourist sites," Antara quoted Gde Agung as saying. -- JP