500 Personnel Descend On Bali’s Bingin Beach As Official Demolition Of Tourism Hotspot Begins

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More than 500 personnel from the authorities of the Bali Provincial Government have descended on Uluwatu’s Bingin Beach to demolish more than 40 buildings reported to have been breaking spatial planning laws.

The demotion orders have been in place for months, and now officials have taken over the situation.

The demolition orders at Bingin Beach have been one of the most controversial issues in Bali in recent months.

Local community members and Bali lovers from around the world have been vocal in their devastation that more than 40 business premises in the Bingin Beach area have been ordered to be removed and demolished by the Bali Provincial Government.

While Uluwatu has undergone a surge in popularity in the last 5 years, the cliff-backed coastal retreat has been a favourite with surfers and backpackers since the 1970s. 

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A post shared by Protect bingin (@savebinginbeach)

On Monday, 21st July, as announced prior, more than 500 personnel from government agencies descended on Bingin Beach to begin demolition work.

Footage from the site shows Bali’s Governor Wayan Koster working to break down a door with a mallet.

Further footage also shows hundreds of personnel starting to break down one of the restaurants listed in the demolition orders, using small hammers and mallets to break down what they could. 

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A post shared by Protect bingin (@savebinginbeach)

Speaking to reporters, Badung Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) Chief I Gusti Agung Ketut Suryanegara confirmed that the demolition of the illegal structures at Bingin Beach will involve officers from a range of agencies, including the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and the Indonesian National Police (Polri), the Bali and Badung Public Order Agency (Satpol PP), and the Community Protection Agency (Linmas).

The list of buildings and businesses to be demolished includes villas, homestays, restaurants, and other tourist facilities. Each premises has been listed in a civil police investigation to be found to have been violating various laws and regulations, ranging from spatial planning and environmental regulations to suspected encroachment on state land. 

Suryanegara told reporters, “A total of 500 personnel will be deployed, consisting of the TNI, Police, the Bali and Badung Public Order Agency (Satpol PP), and the Community Protection Agency (Linmas). More than 200 personnel will be on standby to provide backup, in addition to 50 construction workers.”

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Suryanegara also confirmed that no heavy machinery will be moved into the Bingin Beach area and that a team of workers has already been summoned in order to carry out the demolition work in the coming weeks. He shared, “We definitely won’t be using heavy equipment yet. We’ll try to use it as we go along, and we’ll build the road first.”

While there have been outpourings of shock and devastation from Bali lovers, foreigners are urged not to get involved in any protesting or petitioning against the government-mandated decision.

Protesting in Indonesia is strictly regulated, and disobeying or publicly disagreeing with the government can result in serious consequences, particularly for foreign residents and tourists.

While there are some that support the decision, many in the local community feel the decision is unjust.

Many observers on online forums have enquired as to the timing of the investigation into the buildings at Bingin Beach, many of which have been in place for more than ten to twenty years, as development and investor interest in Uluwatu soars. 

The Bali Provincial Government has been steadfast in following the investigation that spatial planning violations have been identified across the beachfront.

In a post shared by Uluwatu Community and Save Bingin Beach, one community organiser wrote, “Foreigners are just foreigners and not part of the community and can get in serious trouble for going against the government.”

They add, “We need to let locals do their thing and gather and stand together, but having foreigners get involved is only going to make the situation much worse.”

Tourists traveling to Bingin Beach in the coming weeks and months will see and hear demolition work underway and are encouraged not to pass comment or get involved on either side of the debate. Bingin Beachfront remains open, as to the businesses not impacted by demolition orders.