Indonesia’s Deputy Minister of Tourism, Ni Luh Puspa, has been talking to the media about her concerns regarding the increase in the number of foreigners in Bali engaging in criminal activity.
Her comments come as Bali Immigration this week confirmed the arrest of four foreigners working on tourist visas and the deportation of six others on similar offenses.
Minister Ni Luh Puspa told reporters on Thursday 13th February that she is committed to resolving the issue of rising crime rates in Bali.
She explained, “This has also become a concern for the minister, we at the center are also very worried about this, we want to immediately find a solution together with the center and the regions.”
She confirmed that she is also exploring ways in which law enforcement can be made stronger in Bali to help deter criminally inclined individuals from operating in the region.
With specific reference to the violence that broke out at Finns Beach Club earlier this week, Minister Ni Luh Pupsa confirmed that the Ministry of Tourism is giving its full support to Bali Police in tackling these issues.
She added, “This [kind of behavior] has entered the criminal realm, of course, we support the police including the local government, of course, the steps of law enforcement need to be strengthened again.”
Minister Ni Luh Puspa spoke to the media after holding a joint meeting with the Bali House of Representatives in Badung Regency. All major tourism unions, associations, and agencies were attendees, and Bali’s top tourism stakeholders discussed what policy updates are necessary to help form the Third Amendment Bill to Law Number 10 of 2009 concerning Tourism.
The Minister shared, “Now we are listening to the aspirations of many good inputs, even very detailed article by article. We hope this can be completed soon because this is a carryover from the previous [policital] period.”
Changes to the way in which tourism is managed in Bali are clearly on the cards, but the impact any policy changes will have on tourists to the province remains to be seen.
She concluded, “There are many adjustments that need to be adapted to the current situation, so we feel it necessary for us to discuss together, and absorb aspirations so that when this law is completed it can provide a better contribution to Indonesian tourism in future.”
Speaking separately, the Head of Bali’s Tourism Office, Tjok Bagus Pemayun, added that local officials regretted how this situation had come to be and that the criminal actions of foreign nationals in Bali had gone beyond what agencies had predicted.
He shared “We want quality tourists to come, who respect Balinese culture, the environment Balinese people, this incident is a lesson for us.”
Pemayun also noted how a change in law enforcement is necessary, citing the policies outlined in Circular Letter Number 4 of 2022, which he feels do not now go far enough in their capacity to prevent the criminal actions of foreigners in the province, whether this be violent crime or immigration crime.
Pemayun noted, “Of course, with this incident, we are intensifying again. We want to check the decision letter in Bali again because it needs some updates so we can anticipate these things.”
He confirmed that the Bali Tourism Office will install a fresh round of billboards to communicate the do’s and don’ts that tourists and foreigners must obey while in the province.
While top officials in Bali continue to discuss and create a series of policy updates that will help keep the province safer and more peaceful for residents and tourists, the situation for foreigners in the region remains the same.
The protocol is simple; respect Indonesian law, honor and obey the conditions as stipulated in your visa category, and respect Balinese customs and culture.
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Neil Gill
Wednesday 19th of February 2025
Look closely to the types of visitors or over stays in Canggu and mainly from Northern Eastern Europe area.They are the ones with the money to attend these up market night clubs etc.I have lived here for many years and most of the trouble in Bali has intensified since Covid and the Russian Ukrainian war.
Viktor Z
Wednesday 26th of February 2025
@Sven,
Ah, missed your ‘contribution’ with the message that you left already! Hear, hear !
Soo instead of barking your nonsense on this forum it may be better to focus on becoming a gauleiter serving in Troll country among your honest fellow Vikings and join committees where you can brainstorm about deportation of non Aryan low life…
Viktor Z
Wednesday 26th of February 2025
@Sven,
More nonsense of this Viking …
What are we facing today in the Scandinavia, Home of Europe‘s most honorable and honest people…No Control resulting in no-go area‘s and the vast rise of neo-nazi movements..
Sweden was neutral during WW2 but kept strong ties with their German blood Brothers aware of what happened to people with a certain faith. After the war however they presented themselves as a humanitarian superpower which they kept up for decades till they couldn‘t cope anymore…
Who’s the person that the honorable Sven sees in his own mirror every day ?
One can wonder what supremacists like the honorable Sven are doing on Bali in the first place?
Think that he walked the same path as Sweden and many Swedes..
Time to Book a flight outbound🥱
Randy
Sunday 23rd of February 2025
@Sven, such a biased observation in general. By the way you are such a pro in Geography 101. Yes Northern Europe is mostly Scandinavian countries and some Baltic nations (former Soviet Union territories).
DON’T SAY that you were never complicit in a small bribery to get things handled faster and cut red tapes for whatever business or land purchase in Bali to avoid a notary fee in the process. And that is how some white entitled people get into trouble with the law or when things turned South. How is a notary able to defend a case if some idiot losers are doing under the table.
Sven
Thursday 20th of February 2025
@Neil Gill, North East Europe is not Ukraine or Russia. The Baltics and Scandinavians are one of the most honorable and honest people in Europe. Indonesia is the complete opposite of them, corrupt to the eyeballs. But worse of all, completely hypocritical of themselves. At least Nordic people have courage to look in the mirror and acknowledge their problems and then work on them. Indonesians just scream and whine, taking 0 responsibility of their own actions. That reflects in development and power.
Steve bm
Monday 17th of February 2025
Lokal crime is not reported to utube etc, it is reported in some lokal papers , there is a he'll of alot of lokal crime and very serious stuff is kept quiet. They could start with sending the 5000 prostitutes back to there villages in Java and greater islands they have broken up so many lokal marriages in bali that's all the Cafe girls as well with all the Mafia and thugs the pimps and don't get started on who's moonlighting running all the other bad stuff. It's just all two faced as there is just so much lokal crime that the average holiday maker would never hear of it. It's so unbalanced. I'm all for immigration teams heading out looking for visa crime and deporting and even have a reward for dob in a visa violations. It's not like it was you will get caught example if you built or brought villa's and it's in a safe name and your proven to be renting it goodbye to you and or sneaky business see ya later. Real street level tourists crime is very very low and guess who enables them in many cases yes lokal thugs
Steve bm
Friday 21st of February 2025
@Viktor Z, my point was stop the obsession with a few tourists crims low level crims when lokal crime is massive and hushed up.
Steve bm
Friday 21st of February 2025
@Viktor Z, Victoria the wannabe
Steve bm
Friday 21st of February 2025
@Viktor Z, I have an idea and have contributed and are active in lokal community ways laws life etc far deeper and much longer than many and have experienced the system 30 years the wife's a real lokal not a part timer from the islands yes and 3 kids locally in school. OK peanut!!
Viktor Z
Tuesday 18th of February 2025
@Steve bm,
Another ‘observation’ by a simple Anglo-Saxon soul…
Prostitution always seems to serve a demand and it seems that they merely serve the demand of costumers with the appearance of this commenter.
Strange that his compatriots and other blood brothers in Thailand never talk about sending home the masseuses [and masseurs] end prostitutes back to their home villages…
Still surprising that too many foreigners tourists and [worst] expatriates have not the slightest idea about the modus operandi in a developing country..
Dumb but also amusing.
Exp
Tuesday 18th of February 2025
@Steve bm, Correct. The local news is increasingly clogged up with local crime. Stabbings seems to be popular. So foreigners muct be careful as many locals carry "sharp weapons" -- and they do not hesitate to use if they feel "wronged".
Rusty212
Monday 17th of February 2025
Ban alcohol.That will sort out a lot of problems.
Exp
Monday 17th of February 2025
5-6 weeks ago an Australian businessman was banned for life from Bali by immigration after a youtube video he posted and subsequent smear campaign posted by many local news outlets.
Now immigration (in Jakarta) has overturned this ban and he is back as it turned out the facts reported in the local press where wrong. Looks to ne Bali immigration failed to cross check and even talk to the businessman. That is scary.
This dude had money and managed to mobilize resources to fight back, dhow evidence and have the ban overturned. Lessons learned here.
LINK LINK
Rand
Tuesday 18th of February 2025
@Exp, you must be thrilled that the brown people got it wrong!! Nice try...
Viktor Z
Tuesday 18th of February 2025
@Exp,
Money that some frustrated ‘expats’ and their wifeys seems to lack…
Stuck between the ‘brownies’ where they can afford a roof above their heads with in their home countries only the prospect of a trailer home.
JR
Sunday 16th of February 2025
I am not a young person I have lived for 96 years now. I have been to o 103 countries I know what has happened to Bali living here for 39 years now. I all started with the new governor not taking any charge of the lambs he governs. He has not passed any laws regarding the young people taking the muffles off the motorbikes. It is against the law and a way for the public to show no respect to the law. Now they feel as though they can do whatever they want includinding violent crimes. I saw the exact same thing in South America. It started with the mufflers and the police did nothing then it was racing their bikes on the streets still the police did nothing then it went crazy with crime to the point that NOBODY WANT TO TRAVEL THERE. It is time for the police to do their jobs and put an end to the BS.
Exp
Monday 17th of February 2025
@JR, 96? Big respect! There are laws against noise pollution by modified motorbikes with limit at 80dBA at 1 meter. Penalty is a fine or up to 1 month jail.
The issue is that police is under no pressure to take this issue seriously and only do spot check occasionally to show they are "doing something". Complaints to the police by foreigners will do nothing. It has to go via respected local authorities or something going viral online. When the police look bad they will action.
LINK
Randy
Monday 17th of February 2025
@JR, there was an article recently where the police is taking action probably and that it is in Jakarta.