JP/7/LETS97

Restless Bali

All this started on Dec. 11, 2002, when returning to Jakarta after celebrating Idul Fitri with my family in Malang, East Java, I visited Bali for a couple of days and decided to take a railway trip by executive class Mutiara Timur to see East Java's scenery.

Arriving at the Gilimanuk port, a team of mobile brigade policemen checked the identity of every passenger of the bus owned by Perumka (state-owned railway company). Since all passengers were able to show their identity card (KTP), the officers allowed the bus to continue to Denpasar.

At the Ubud bus station all passengers were again requested to show their identity cards by a team of city security officers. Then, one by one the names of passengers were called and recorded in a book. We were then requested to ride in a vehicle owned by law and order officers (tramtib) to their office in Kreneng, just like a bunch of criminals.

On Dec. 12 we found ourselves in a kind of temporary detention from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. inside the compound of the tramtib office without any explanation.

At 1 a.m., a team of tramtib officers once again called the passenger's name one by one and returned the identification cards. Then, all the passengers were requested to enter a bus which took them to back to Gilimanuk and finally to Java. This contradicts the report in Radar Bali, Dec. 13, which stated that the operation was aimed at visitors without ID cards.

I made a special consideration not to join the bus back to Gilimanuk, but to Ngurah Rai Airport, arguing that I wanted to returned to Jakarta. Thank God, the tramtib officers let me take a taxi. But instead I stayed in Bali as planned and returned back to Jakarta by Garuda Indonesia on Dec. 14.

If Bali provincial authorities wanted to limit "immigrants" from Java who are suspected to be a burden for Bali, why not stop them in Ketapang or Gilimanuk? The provincial administration can open a "check-point" to distribute forms to be filled by visitors who want to enter Bali.

And, after checking the forms, officials can issue an "entrance permit" or otherwise "deportation". But this should be done carefully. Among the unwanted visitors, there are domestic tourists like myself and possibly low income Indonesian citizens who just need to pass Bali and stop in Lombok to meet their families, only because air transport is beyond their means. Do they also deserve "deportation"?

We understand the attitude of the law and order officers after the explosions in Bali. But, I think it is necessary for the provincial administration to take a more civilized measure in handling domestic visitors, particularly those who enter by land transportation.

SLAMET ABADI West Jakarta