Tourists, staff complain of illegal fees at Galang resort

Tourists, staff complain of illegal fees at Galang resort

Fadli, Batam, Riau

The 80-hectare Vietnam Refugee Camp (Sinam Camp) in Galang
Island here, which was built by the United Nations High
Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in 1979, is now becoming a
tourist resort.

Sadly, though, rampant levies imposed by security guards in
the area, organized by the Batam Authority's Security
Directorate, has tarnished the image of the tourist resort,
famous for its beautiful scenery and rich history.

Suyono, 26, a domestic tourist, said that he was disturbed
with the behavior of security guards there who asked him for
money. The amount of money was small, but the way the security
guard asked him for money was very disturbing, said Suyono. "One
of them stopped my car and he asked me where I was going. He told
me that he would only open the gate if I gave him money," Suyono
complained.

Several tourists said that the amount of money asked by the
security guards varied enormously -- between Rp 5,000 and Rp
50,000.

One security guard said that the amount of money was
"voluntary", but the tourists had to give them the money anyway.

"Please brother. We need additional income to keep us alive.
Please help us," he said, when asking money from The Jakarta
Post.

Separately, the chief of the Batam Authority, Ismeth Abdullah,
regretted the levies. He explained that when the UNHCR handed
over the management of the island to the Batam Authority in 1997,
the Batam Authority planned to develop it as a free-of-charge
tourist resort. The authority is currently renovating some
churches and temples in the area that were previously used by the
Vietnamese refugees. "I am really disappointed with these levies.
If the security guards are proven guilty, we will punish them
sternly," said Ismeth.

Mursidi, one of cleaning staff at the tourist resort
acknowledged that the practice was disturbing. In order to curb
the practice, Mursidi proposed that the Batam Authority impose a
fee for tourists of between Rp 2,000 and Rp 10,000.

The 80-kilometer-square Galang Island is located some 50
kilometers south of Batam. It has already been abandoned by the
boat people from Vietnam.

The legacy of the refugees is still to be found on the island,
such as the refugees' boats, barracks, churches, temples, their
cemetery and even bars. Besides seeing the legacy of the boat
people, tourists can also enjoy the beautiful scenery of the
island, including its beach.