Japan mulls issuing travel warning for tourists to Bali

Japan mulls issuing travel warning for tourists to Bali

I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

Due to an increasing number of sexual assaults on Japanese
women in Bali over the last few months, the Japanese government
was considering the possibility of issuing an official travel
advisory for the island, a senior Japanese diplomat revealed here
on Monday.

"We are currently considering that possibility, and there are
several signs that the travel advisory will be issued. This will
no doubt cause significant losses to both Bali and Japan," the
Japanese Consul in Bali, Kaoru Hata, stated here on Monday
evening.

If the travel advisory, which would warn Japanese citizens to
avoid traveling to Bali, eventually materializes, it would be a
devastating blow for the island's important tourist industry.

The island has already seen a sharp decrease in foreign
tourists following the tragic Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the
U.S.

For years, Japan had always been one of the Balinese tourist
industry's largest and most lucrative markets, with the number of
Japanese visitors always ranked in the top two.

On March 17, 2002, the number of Japanese visitors stood at
4,148 out of a total 20,598 foreign visitors vacationing on the
island.

The sexual assaults would also tarnish the island's long-
standing reputation as a safe and friendly tourist destination.

"The increase in the number of such attacks targeting female
Japanese visitors has been tremendous. In the last couple of
months, there have been five reported sexually-motivated
assaults. I am very concerned about this phenomenon. And so is my
government and the Japanese media back home.

Some of the victims had reported the assaults they suffered to
the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo," Kaoru said.

Earlier in the morning, Kaoru paid a visit to local police
headquarters to personally and directly bring the matter up with
Bali Police chief Brig. Gen. Budi Setyawan. Kaoru asked the
police to pay serious attention to the problem, and to act
swiftly against the perpetrators.

"Once, a female Japanese visitor was raped in Ubud. The police
identified the suspect, but, unfortunately, up to now he has
never been arrested or detained. The police should not act
hesitantly in investigating these cases," Kaoru said.

Bali Police spokesperson Adj. Sr. Com. Yatim Suyatmo confirmed
the meeting, adding that the Bali Police chief had promised to
seriously look into the matter.

"The chief has instructed the heads of the detective and
intelligence divisions to immediately conduct a thorough
investigation of these cases," Yatim said, adding that the
assaults ranged from sexual molestation to rape.

The most recent reported case involved thirty-year-old Ketut
Suadnyana, who on March 8, 2002 allegedly assaulted and sexually-
harassed twenty-five-year-old Herry Hobata.

When Hobata resisted his advances, Suadnyana reportedly
resorted to force, gripping Hobata's neck and trying to strangle
her. One week after the assault, Hobata finally reported it to
the police.