Last month Bali Police announced the launch of a 16-day operation to crack down on lawless behavior by tourists in Bali’s busiest resort areas.
The first set of feedback from the operation has been shared with the public.
The operation, titled Operation Nusa Agung, took place between the 21st of June and the 6th of July, with specific raids and awareness campaigns taking place across Badung Regency and strategic areas within Tabanan Regency.
At the launch of the operation, Badung Police Chief AKBP Teguh Priyo Wasono shared with reporters the reasons why Operation Nusa Agung was necessary.
He explained, “we will prioritize preemptive and preventive activities accompanied by law enforcement. The hope is to create community order and conduciveness.”
The mission was to crack down on potential lawlessness by tourists on the island. Police were on the lookout for foreigners who were breaking the conditions of their visa, such as working illegally, as well as breaking traffic law or disrespecting local culture in Bali.
This year Bali have launched two specific task forces to address the apparent increase in badly behaving foreigners on the island.
The first task force was assigned to identify and hold to account foreigners who were breaking the conditions of their visas.
The second task force was assigned with bringing to justice tourists who disrespect local culture or other Indonesian laws, mainly for traffic violations and staying in unregistered accommodations.
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As Operation Nusa Agung comes to a close, police officials from Tabanan have been able to share details of their part of the operation.
The Head of Operations for Tabanan Police, AKP I Gusti Ngurah Suparta, told reporters that he and his teams conducted strategic traffic stops along the route to Ulun Danu Beratan Temple and Lake, Eka Karya Bali Botanical Gardens, the Bloom Gardens in the heart of the regency.
AKP Suparta told reporters, “The operation targeted foreigners, so there are no violations committed by tourists who come to visit or reside in the jurisdiction of the Tabanan Police.”
The Police Chief was pleased to reveal that he and his teams found no violations during their operation. He explained, “From the implementation of the current operation, there have been no violations, including traffic violations committed by foreign nationals.”
This is clearly great news for police and other officials in Bali. It is evident that not only are the majority of tourists continuing to obey the do’s and don’ts of life on the island but that public awareness about traffic laws is increasing.
AKP Suparta explained that officers spent time communicating with foreign tourists during the operation to help promote good behavior across the board.
He added, “personnel also continue to give advice to tourists [so that] foreigners to comply with regulations in force in Indonesia, respect the culture and local wisdom of the Balinese people.”
This included advice to “not recklessly drive a vehicle on the highway, obey the rules when entering the area of a holy place such as a temple or something that is sacred to the Balinese people.”
All advice has been stipulated by Governor Koster and the provincial government in new guidelines that tourists are expected to scan and read via QR-code upon arrival at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.
As Operation Nusa Agung comes to a close, we can expect more updates from police forces across the island.
Though officers from Tabanan Regency shared their data first, the main focus area of the operation was in Badung Regency, in busy tourist resort areas like Canggu, Seminyak, Legian, Kuta, and Uluwatu.
The operation and the updated guidelines for tourists visiting Bali all come as part of a bigger move to promote ‘dignified and culture-based tourism’ on the island, with a strong focus on attracting ‘high-quality’ tourists.
In addition to rolling out new guidelines on how to behave in Bali, Governor Koster and the provincial government are discussing other potential changes to help promote their vision of higher-quality tourism.
This includes a proposed ban on tourists hiring vehicles to drive on the island and huge increases to the visa-on-arrival fee.
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carsten
Thursday 13th of July 2023
Thailand is also very nice, there you are welcome as a tourist!
Exp
Tuesday 11th of July 2023
Meanwhile in my local area there is an increasing problem with noisy motorbikes (motor knalpot brong). The police has chased them away from Jl. Bypass as they apparently must have disturbed police resting at their police station. Now these gangsters are terrorizing smaller roads.
Why is this massive noise problem impossible to deal with?
C
Tuesday 11th of July 2023
Oh wow blaming foreigners for all of Bali's problems didn't work after all.
Pathetic.
JK
Tuesday 11th of July 2023
A wasted effort to deflect attention from the actual local problems in Bali. Which will never be addressed nor solved.
Arthur
Tuesday 11th of July 2023
Translation: Everyone they confronted, paid them off cash on the spot.
Suggest the Gov in Jakarta create a real Task Force to sift through the corrupt police force in Bali. This is no joke! This place is not going to hold together the way it is running.