Tanah Lot project wins approval from government

JAKARTA (JP): The government has recommended the development of the Bali Nirwana Resort, a US$200 million tourism project adjacent to the Tanah Lot temples in Bali, go on, despite the persistent criticism of local residents and students nationwide.

In a recent meeting held in Bali between the developers and government officials, the government said that all of the permits for the project, including licenses for foreign investment, land appropriation, and building are squared away.

The government officials involved in the meeting were Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Joop Ave, Bali governor Ida Bagus Oka and the commander of the Bali Military District, the chairman of the Environmental Study Center of the University of Udayana and local religious leaders.

The resort is being developed by PT Bakrie Nirwana Resort, a joint venture 20 percent owned by the PT Bakrie Nusantara Corporation, a subsidiary of the Bakrie Group, and 80 percent by Time Switch Investment of Britain.

A spokesman for the Bakrie Group, Siddharta Moersjid, said here yesterday that with the government's endorsement, Bakrie Nirwana is required to establish a green space area around the Tanah Lot Hindu Temples, where building construction is prohibited.

Facilities

The facilities to be constricted at the complex, located 30 kilometers west of Denpasar, will consist of a 300 room hotel, a Thalassotheraphy spa, a racket sports center and a golf course on 121 hectares on the southern coast facing the Indian Ocean.

Beside the hotel, under the Le Meridien name and management, there will also be resort homes and luxury villas managed by Aston Hotels and Resorts, Timeshare suites to be managed by Leisure Holidays Berhad of Malaysia and an open sky theater.

The controversy which erupted last October came from Balinese students, intellectuals and religious groups, who charged that the project profanes the Hindu holy temples at the site and degrades the local culture as well. Others were upset about being forced off their land.

The Armed Forces (ABRI) faction and the Golkar ruling party, two influential factions at the House of Representatives, have supported the development. They also say that opposition to the project has been stirred by rival investors and has been highly politicized.

Moersjid said the project will employ some 5,000 local people during the construction and some 1,500 during operation.(icn)