Can Indonesia's new task force in Bali keep unruly tourists in check?
Agus Andrianto, minister of immigration and corrections, on August 5 inaugurated the Immigration Patrol Task Force in Bali's provincial capital Denpasar, with the mission to 'suppress illegal acts by foreigners', as well as provide rapid response to immigration violations.
'The formation of the Immigration Patrol Task Force is a follow-up to President
Prabowo Subianto 's directive to ensure stability and security in Bali as one of Indonesia's top tourist destinations,' Agus said in a statement.
About 100 uniformed immigration authorities have been deployed, either on motorcycles or cars, in 10 tourist hot spots around Bali, namely the surfers' paradise areas of Canggu and Seminyak, spiritual hub Ubud, and the seafood town of Jimbaran. The task force is equipped with body cams and safety vests.
01:56
Bali issues tourism dos and don'ts list in wake of scandals involving unruly visitors
Bali issues tourism dos and don'ts list in wake of scandals involving unruly visitors
According to the immigration agency, the patrol is being carried out randomly, but periodically, until August 31, but may be extended if needed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific cancels 22 flights on Friday, Saturday after bad weather
Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has cancelled 22 flights in the next two days as a result of inclement weather on Thursday, and warned passengers to confirm bookings before heading to the airport. The airline said that 13 flights were cancelled on Friday and another nine on Saturday after black and red rainstorm warnings on Thursday wreaked havoc at the airport. There were also extensive weather-related air traffic control delays for all inbound and outbound aircraft, it said on Friday. Hong Kong issued its fifth black rainstorm warning on Thursday so far this year, a record-breaking number since the Hong Kong Observatory's database began in 1998. 'As a result the deployment of multiple aircraft and crews was impacted, with many forced to be held overnight outside Hong Kong,' Cathay said. 'In order to minimise the impact on customers and recover the schedule as quickly as possible, we have to cancel 13 flights scheduled today and nine flights scheduled tomorrow.' The cancellations largely involved regional flights.
South China Morning Post
6 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong arrivals rise 12% led by long-haul visitors from US, Europe and Australia
The number of visitors to Hong Kong rose by 12 per cent year on year in July, with long-haul arrivals from countries such as Britain, the United States and France showing the biggest increase of 21 per cent, according to official data. The Hong Kong Tourism Board said on Friday that the city welcomed 4.39 million visitors in July, pushing the cumulative total for the first seven months of the year to around 28 million, also a 12 per cent increase over the same period last year. Visitor numbers maintained a similar growth momentum from a month earlier, with 3.48 million arrivals recorded in June, a year-on-year increase of 11 per cent. The number of visitors from long-haul markets reached 263,255 in July, a 21 per cent increase from the same period last year. The figure accounted for 6 per cent of the total arrivals in the month. The tourism board added that the primary drivers of the long-haul market's growth were visitors from the UK, the US, Australia, France and Germany. Hong Kong welcomed 4.39 million visitors in July, bringing cumulative total to 28 million this year, according to the tourism board. Photo: Nora Tam This marks the biggest year-on-year growth in long-haul markets since January, when the first month of long-haul tourists also recorded a 21 per cent increase, while other months fell between 16 and 20 per cent.
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- South China Morning Post
Power cut strands 30,000 at Japan's Osaka expo, sparks calls for better crisis planning
About 30,000 visitors to Japan 's World Exposition in Osaka were left stranded, with some forced to spend the night inside the expo grounds, after the sole train service to the venue had to be halted due to a power outage on Wednesday. Services on the Chuo Line, the only direct route to Yumeshima, the artificial island that hosts the expo, were halted at 9.30pm – 30 minutes before closing time – because of an electrical failure, Kyodo news agency reported. While the Osaka Metro partially restored the service before midnight, Yumeshima was so overwhelmed with people trying to leave via the station that entry was temporarily restricted, according to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. Visitors were encouraged to use other public transport or stay inside the venue. Visitors wait in line for taxis in front of the entrance gate of the World Exposition in Osaka on Wednesday night, after services were suspended on the Osaka Metro's Chuo Line, which offers sole direct train access from the city centre to the expo site on Yumeshima island. Photo: Kyodo One man from Saitama prefecture ended up waiting for a taxi after not being able to catch the train at the station. 'We were packed in like sardines,' he told the Asahi Shimbun, adding that it was so hot that some people fainted. 'Visitors need more information. There is no crisis management at all.'
