Latest news with #BaliSun
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
Iconic Bali beach ‘ruined' after businesses demolished
One of Bali's most iconic surf destinations will never be the same again, as Indonesian authorities have begun demolishing more than 40 businesses along the famous beach. The destruction began on Monday morning as footage emerged of authorities breaking through locked doors and destroying business infrastructure with hammers. The demolition notice comes at a peak time of travel to the island for Aussies, so travellers have been warned that Bingin may not be accessible over the coming weeks. The drastic action begins after dozens of businesses were issued demolition notices in the last two months and were given time to make adjustments in accordance with building regulations. Bali's civil police unit, the Satpol PP, found in an investigation that more than 40 buildings in the Bingin Beach area were violating spatial planning laws and building regulations. If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. After weeks of back-and-forth negotiations with desperate business owners attempting to halt the demolition orders, authorities have drawn a line in the sand. 'It is true that we have received a warrant for the demolition of the violating building at Bingin Beach,' Head of the Badung PP Police, I Gusti Agung Ketut Suryanegara, told reporters, according to the Bali Sun. 'We immediately sent a notification letter to the owners of the building in question, stating that the demolition will begin on July 21, 2025, and continue until it is completed.' With its pristine white sand and world-class barrelling lefts, Uluwatu's Bingin Beach has been a much-loved holiday destination for Aussies to enjoy the surf spots — Impossibles and Bingin— or soak up the laid-back atmosphere. Aerial view of Bingin beach in Bali, Indonesia. Credit: Adobe / pierrick The demolition notices, issued via letter, posters, and WhatsApp messages, affect 45 buildings, including villas, homestays, restaurants, and other tourist facilities. The violations included breaches of spatial planning rules, environmental laws, and alleged encroachment on state land. 'We did this notification in various ways, in order to minimise the reason for ignorance during the execution process,' Head of Investigation Ida Bagus Ratu told local media. One Bingin Beach business owner shared his frustration with reporters. 'If we are considered wrong because we occupy the country's land, then where is the country when everything has been running for over 30 years?' the business owner said. Surfing legend Kelly Slater has aired his frustration at the demolition plans. Credit: Kelly Slater / Instagram Eleven-time world surfing champion Kelly Slater is among those in the global surfing community voicing concern on social media. 'Awful to hear and see that the beachfront at Bingin in Bali has been bought up and all the local (eateries) and other businesses will be demolished to make room for some kind of beach club and not sure what else?' he said, alluding to circulating rumours that the removals may be linked to plans for a luxury beach club, though authorities have denied this according to 'Bali has been completely mishandled and ruined by foreign interests in recent years. I hope something can be done to retain the culture and beauty of what attracted everyone there in the first place.' Bingin Beach is only reachable via steep staircases which traverse through the cliffside buildings marked for demolition and the state of future beach access is unclear.
Daily Mail
01-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Aussie tourist shares urgent scam warning after filming 'easy-to-miss' detail at Bali cash exchange booth
An Aussie tourist has shared a dire warning after claiming to have almost fallen victim to a scam in Bali. Footage was posted to TikTok on Tuesday showing a man at a currency exchange booth trying to exchange $100AUD to Indonesian Rupiah. The tourist counted the bills to make sure he was given the right amount before putting them down and telling the Balinese worker to leave them alone. The worker then picked up the bills and began recounting them in front of the tourist before appearing to slide some back behind the counter. The Aussie tourist was onto him immediately. 'You just dropped it behind the counter bro, it's enough,' he said before walking away. The Aussie urged other tourists to be vigilant. 'This is not the first time it's happened. I kept saying leave the bills there after I'd counted them, but he kept handling the cash,' he said. The video was viewed two million times with other Aussies saying they had seen it before. 'They have been doing this exact scam for 25 years,' one person wrote. 'Oldest scam in Bali, go to a reputable money changer, not a backyard hack,' another said. But many Aussies couldn't find anything wrong with the video, saying they didn't see the worker drop the money behind the counter. 'I genuinely didn't see anything happen,' one wrote. 'I've watched it many times on slow and even zoomed in but can't see a thing,' another said. What happened was the staffer counted the money in front of the tourist and swiped as many notes as they could onto a hidden desk below, before handing back the cash. They attempted to trick the customer by continually counting or touching the cash to confuse and distract the tourist in order to short-change them. 'The video does not capture (it) well, but he slipped it down then was about to count again in front of him before he got called out,' one person wrote. 'When he picks up the bills you can clearly see a couple bills are by his pinky finger, when he brought it close to him, he slides them down behind the counter,' another said. Tourists have been told to count their money out again before leaving a money exchange store. Last year, a woman confronted a kiosk worker after realising she'd been short-changed one million Indonesian Rupieh ($93AUD) in Sanur, south-east Bali. 'Sorry, you give me one mil' less, not enough. You give me four not five', she said. Local news source the Bali Sun said tourists needed to search for up-to-date licenses from kiosks or conduct their money exchanges at official places like banks. Travel Money Group said Aussies should purchase a travel card before they left for Bali. 'Particularly in Bali, where cash is king, the safest option is to use a trusted foreign exchange provider before you leave Australia,' Travel Money Group general manager Scott Mccullough said.
South China Morning Post
28-02-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Indonesia's Bali warns tourists of rabies risk after local death from dog bite
Indonesia 's holiday hotspot Bali has warned tourists of the risks of rabies after a local man died of the disease this week. Advertisement The patient, 35, succumbed on Monday after displaying symptoms including restlessness and high fever, local media reported. He was found to have been bitten by a stray dog six months ago in Sukasada, a town two hours' drive from the island capital of Denpasar, according to the English-language news outlet Bali Sun. Instead of reporting the bite to authorities, the man had only washed his wound. But he began to show symptoms on Saturday and died two days later. 'We have carried out treatment, but the symptoms shown by the patient are indeed very typical of rabies,' said Putu Nugraha, director of Buleleng Regional Hospital, where the victim was pronounced dead. Advertisement Nugraha pointed out that a post-bite vaccination against the disease was not given since the man did not report his injury.
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Aussie family's Bali nightmare amid disease outbreak in tourist hotspots: 'Never going back'
It's a top holiday destination for Australians, but one Brisbane mum says she'll never return to Bali after her daughter became terrifyingly ill with dengue fever. A recent surge of the notorious mosquito-borne disease has prompted a warning for Aussies to be vigilant when visiting the island. Cases of dengue fever have doubled in Badung Regency, which covers some of Bali's most heavily populated tourist hotspots including Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, Nusa Dua, Canggu and Uluwatu. Health officials recorded 2,405 cases in 2024 compared to 1,137 the year before, according to the Bali Sun. The region with the highest amount of dengue fever cases was Gianyar Regency – home to Ubud and its rice fields. Last year saw 4,478 confirmed cases. 'Indonesia has typically had high case numbers for dengue fever since 2019. However 2024 saw even higher numbers of cases reported specially in the first half of the year,' Associate Professor In Pathology and a dengue researcher at University of New South Wales Chaturaka Rodrigo told Yahoo News. He added there are typically more cases during Bali's rainy season (November to April) however 'cases are seen all throughout the year in endemic countries'. Dengue has similar symptoms to a bad flu or Covid, which can make it difficult to diagnose without a blood test. 'The typical symptoms include sudden onset fever, headache, pain behind the eyes, chills, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, abdominal pain and vomiting. A faint red rash may also occur but its visibility depends on skin complexion,' Prof Rodrigo said. Leah and her 16-year-old daughter Alexis were on a 'mother-daughter' trip with a couple of friends in January, when Alexis started to feel sick on their last day. When they arrived at the airport, she vomited – twice. 'I gave her something to try to stop it and it seemed to work,' Leah told Yahoo News. 'She was fine the whole flight and the next day. On Monday she woke with a bad headache then later got a temperature.' At an appointment with her GP on the Tuesday, the doctor suspected she had Bali belly and gave her medication and sent her home. 'That night she got so sick, temps just under 40. I decided to take her to emergency,' Leah said. Alexis was tested for Covid and RSV – which came back negative. She also had blood tests to check for dengue, but the results would take several days. Again, they were sent home but by Thursday, things took a worrying turn. 'On Thursday I had an appointment myself so when I got home around 11.30am I went in, woke her, told her to come out take more Panadol and eat,' Leah recalled. 'We were standing at the kitchen bench and she nearly fainted on me. I said to my husband, 'that's it I'm calling an ambulance'.' The teenager, who her mum describes as 'very independent', was extremely fatigued, sleeping all day and barely drinking water. She also developed a rash on her foot At the hospital, she underwent a lumbar puncture to rule out meningitis. Finally, after her doctor consulted an infectious disease specialist, it was confirmed that she had dengue fever. 'Her white blood cells were extremely low so she was at risk of picking up anything and everything. We ended up in there for four nights,' Leah said. 'When we finally got realised she had to be careful to stay away from everywhere until she had a follow up blood test two days later, which thankfully they [the white blood cells] had gone back up to normal range.' Alexis' liver, however, was still suffering. She has another blood test next week to monitor it. The women spent most of their time in Kuta and Seminyak, with a day trip to Ubud. Leah recalled seeing 'a few' mosquitos inside their villa, and said staff came to spray the villa on one occasion. 'We won't be ever going back to Bali,' Leah said.'We had decided while there it wasn't really a place for us but we had considered next year when we maybe going to Thailand to do a couple of days stop over just to shop – but definitely won't be now.' While the outbreaks may deter some travellers, Prof Rodrigo said the key to a safe journey is to be prepared. 'Informed and prepared travel is recommended than avoiding travel,' he said. 'Know the current outbreaks (dengue or otherwise) in the area you are visiting by looking up local news on the internet or travel web pages, be aware of how to prevent dengue and seek medical care if you fall ill. 'Also take travel insurance before departing and follow the advice on the Smart traveller website for the location you are visiting.' Mosquitos are responsible for more than 1 million deaths a year due to the diseases they carry, according to the World Health Organisation. This makes them the deadliest animals on Earth. Aside from dengue fever, they can transmit malaria, Zika virus, Japanese encephalitis and Ross River virus. While there is no vaccination for dengue fever, Australians can take action by avoiding mosquito bites. Health Direct, a government site providing free health advice, recommends: Wearing long sleeves, pants, socks and covered shoes. Looser clothing items are better, as mozzies can bite through tight clothing Use a mosquito repellent that contains DEET Check for any sources of still water around your home (pot plant saucers, for example). Mosquitos breed in still water. Be extra cautious in daylight hours. Mozzies that carry dengue fever are more active while the sun is up. Use fly screens or air-conditioning to avoid the doors being left open Do you have a story tip? 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