Residents block road in Jimbaran

Residents block road in Jimbaran

JIMBARAN, Bali: Local residents blocked the road leading to
the Four Seasons and The Ritz Carlton in Jimbaran, some 25
kilometers south of Bali capital's Denpasar, on Saturday,
demanding compensation for the land taken up by it.

The disgruntled residents started to unload a truck of stones
at 8.00 p.m. local time onto the three-meter wide road.

The land allegedly belongs to eight families, consisting of 69
people. They said they wanted the hotels to employ their
relatives as compensation.

A policeman said the lingering problem started in 1991.

"First of all the eight families provided their land for
tribespeople who wanted to go to the Muaya temple. When opened,
the hotels used the road without asking permission from the eight
families," the officer, who asked for anonymity, said.

"The hotels sent only their security guard chief, who has no
decision making authority, to talk to the residents. The general
manager or the owners should have met with the residents over the
matter," he said. (zen/sur)