In keeping with the recent appointment of Indonesian champion bodybuilder and fitness consultant Komang Arnawa as the director of the Indonesian Chapter of the International Federation of Bodybuilders and Fitness (IFBB-Indonesia), Arnawa has launched a number of fitness events open to fitness enthusiasts of all nationalities living in Indonesia.

The first fitness event will be held on Sunday, January 17, 2016 at The Trans Resort Bali with competition in the following categories:

• Female Fitness Model - natural bikini model physique
• Men’s Fitness - surfer style natural physique
• Men’s Physique - beginner body builders with defined muscularity.

Reflecting the philosophies of both IFBB-Indonesia and Komang Arnawa (shown), the January competition is strictly drug free.

In what is expected to be an intensely competitive event, competitors securing a first place title will have the chance to compete at the Australian World Championship on a sponsored basis.

In addition to being a competitive bodybuilder competition, the January 17th event will also be used to introduce healthy habits and cuisine to participants and spectators. Those participating and attending will have an opportunity to browse sponsor stalls offering products & services in support of healthy life styles.

Competitors will also be able to join seminars led by experts on how to pose and present in competitive bodybuilder competitions.

Commenting on the coming event, Komang Arnawa said: ‘I love the excitement of seeing people on stage when they set their mind to compete. I plan to create regular fitness events that can encourage & support the Indonesian fitness mania to embrace healthy living and achieve their goals by using the contest as their deadline. Additionally, I see lots of potential of my Indonesian fitness generation to become the next World Champion so I hope the events will act to advance a hobby of fitness into a profession. This IFBB federation can be a platform to achieve this and will provide opportunities for athletes to compete internationally.’

Undefeated throughout his international competitive career, Komang was named champion in 6 successive competitions, including Australian National Champion and has twice won bodybuilding’s highest honor as Pro World Champion (2004 and 2005).

Related Website

International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness - Indonesia

Komang Arnawa’s Bodiku Website

Beritadewata.com reports that the formal police proceeding against the disgraced former head of the Kuta police precinct, Ida Bagus Dedi Januartha (shown), charged with extorting a large sum of money from a group of Australian tourists on August 28, 2015, was scheduled to have taken place during the second week of November 2016.

Plans for the police hearing were confirmed by Bali Police spokesperson Hery Wiyanto on Monday, November 9, 2015. At the same time, Wiyanto was unable to exactly confirm when exactly the police hearing would take place or if the proceedings would be an open forum to permit press coverage.

Wiyanto confirmed that internal punishments had already been rendered against Januartha and his accomplices. "He has been punished. He has been relieved of his job. On an internal basis with the police he has been punished. But, the next proceeding will be held this week. In my opinion this is late,” said Wiyanto on November 9, 2015.

As reported in previous editions of Bali Update, Januartha was proven to have been involved with a group of his subordinates in extorting some A$25,000 from a group of Australian tourists in Kuta. Widely reported in the Australia press, an internal police investigation resulted in demotions and transfer for Junuartha and a group under his command.

Related Articles

Ethical Failings

Power Wielded Judiciously

Blemished Reputation the Indonesian Police

A Call to Justice or Continued Police Impunity?

The Bali Police promise to take firm action against touring groups of large motorcycles seen to be hogging Bali’s roads and, in the process, disregarding an entire range of traffic rules.

Quoted by Metrobali.com, the spokesman for the Bali Provincial Police, Hery Wiyanto, responding to complaints from the public about police reluctance to take firm action against well-connected large motorcycle owners said on Monday, November 9, 2015: “If there are violations (of the law) committed by the big bikes, we will take appropriate action . . .But any kind of event, whether it's a soccer match or a Harley-Davidson gathering, there will always be people who feel disturbed.”

Wiyanto discounted the severity of complaints surrounding a recent big bike conference and gathering in Bali.

Wiyanto confirmed that the big bike gathering in Bali held all the necessary permits issued by the police prior to the event. He defended the gathering, insisting despite minor violations disturbing the peace; most of the participants have acted in accordance with the law.

At the same time, he urged the Harley Davidson owners to avoid acting in an arrogant manner, and respect other vehicles on the road.

Many suppose a special relationship between big bike operators and the police who provide police escorts to big bike convoys and sometimes facilitate the road use by bikes with incomplete vehicle registration.

Meanwhile, a number of complaints have been publicized in the local media showing disruptive acts by groups of big bike riders. A video of 16-seconds duration has been uploaded to the Internet showing a touring group of big bikes impeding the progress of an ambulance on an emergency run with a critically ill patient on board. Meanwhile, on Saturday, November 6, 2015, a group of big bikes escorted by the police violated the rules governing use of Bali’s iconic toll road by using the lanes reserved for cars and trucks, and not the special separated lane reserved for motorcycles.

Related Article

Stop Hogging the Roads in Bali

Beritabali.com reports that the eruption of Mount Barujari at the Rinjani Volcano in Lombok caused an initial total closure of the airport for 3 days in early November 2015 with a modest estimation of losses put at Rp. 45 billion.

That cost does not apparently include the cost of the cancellation of at least one major conference in Bali may have caused revenue losses of around US$1 million.

Following the initial closure of 3 days, flights continue to be affected with some Australian and other international airlines continuing to curtail their Bali flight schedules while monitoring wind directions and seismic activity at the volcano on a daily basis.

Adding to worries locally are reports of increasing volcanic activity at Mount Bromo in East Java. Ash emitted from that still relatively minor explosion is being carried in an southwesterly direction away from Bali by prevailing winds.

This comes after the explosion earlier this year of Mt. Raung in East Java that caused a series of closures at Bali’s airport in July and August.

As flights continue to be cancelled the Bali Hotel Association (BHA) has issued a circular memo to its members requesting the ‘best available rate (BAR)” be extended to those momentarily stranded in Bali due to flight cancellations.

Travelers are encouraged to maintain contact with their airlines for the latest information on flight status to and from Bali.

The Indonesian carrier Sriwijaya Airline is extending special promotional fare available through the end of 2015.

According to the District Manager of Sriwijaya Airline for Bali, Fajar Adhitia, special discount rates are available on the following routings:

• Denpasar to Jakarta
• Denpasar to Surabaya 
• Denpasar to Maumere (Flores)
• Denpasar to Dili (East Timor)
• Denpasar to Waingapu

Quoted by Tribune-Bali.com, Adhitia said the special prices are part of the 12th Anniversary celebration of the Airline and a desire to develop traffic on these routes.

The special rate on the Denpasar to Jakarta route is around Rp. 500,000 as compared to normal discount fares that range from Rp. 800,000 to Rp. 2 million.

For the Denpasar to Surabaya segment the special fare is around Rp. 300,000 against a normal tariff of between Rp. 500,000 to Rp. 1.2 million.

The special fares on the Denpasar to Maumere and Denpasar to Waingapu segments are Rp. 500,000 as compared to normal fares of Rp. 700,000 to Rp. 2 million.

The international flight from Denpasar to Dili in East Timor is on sale at Rp. 1.3 million while normal fares can range from Rp. 1.5 million to Rp. 4 million.

Sriwijaya Airline currently operates an armada of 38 airplanes that include Boeing 737-500 (120 seats), Boeing 737-800NG (189 seats) and Boeing 737-900ER (229 seats).

Speaking at the 59th Assembly of the Association of Asian Pacific Airlines (AAPA) held at the Ritz-Carlton Bali in Nusa Dua on Thursday, November 12, 2015, the CEO of Garuda Indonesia M. Arif Wibowo confirmed that Garuda Indonesia and its subsidiary Citilink Indonesia would add 23 new aircraft in 2016.

As reported by Tribun-Bali.com, Wibowo said that passenger growth for the first nine months of 2015 has hit 206.1 million passengers, an increase of 8.3 percent.

“In order to meet the demand of air passenger growth, we must realize the addition of 23 airplanes. Because, if we fail to do so, Garuda will be unable to meet growing market demand,” said Arif.

Of the 23 aircraft, 15 would be for Garuda and 8 for its low-cost subsidiary Citilink Indonesia.

Garuda’s CEO also told the delegates at the conference that his airline is seeing growth in cargo requirements of about 2.6% in 2015.

In anticipation of escalating fuel costs, Garuda is continuing its program of greater efficiency in spending and cost reduction.

The Indonesian Minister of Transportation, Ignasius Jonan, used the occasion of the 59th Meeting of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) meeting in Bali to deliver a hard-hitting message directed at the Indonesian Airline Industry on the need to improve safety if they hope to compete internationally and expand their current route networks.

As reported by Air Transport World Online, Minister Jonan delivered his keynote address on Friday, November 13, 2015, warning Indonesian carriers that if Indonesian airlines were not ready to safely operate new international routes his Ministry would offer those routes to international competitors. Adding, “I like competition and I think that through competition airlines operate even better.”

The Indonesian Transportation Ministry said the Indonesia would not compromise on issues of safety with his Ministry investing US$1 billion in improving safety in the public transportation sector, focusing on rail and air.

As regards air transportation in Indonesia, money is being spent on Air Traffic Control Systems (ATC) and airport operations.

A 51-year-old Swiss Restaurateur has been arrested at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport when he was discovered to have 3.2 grams of marihuana concealed in his underpants after landing on AirASIA QZ 545 from Kuala Lumpur at 1:00 am on Thursday, November 12, 2015.

Marc Andre Wenger, originally from Neuchatel, was deemed to be acting nervously by Custom’s officers who took him aside for a thorough inspection of his luggage and his person.

Liputan6 and Nusa Bali said custom’s officials found a plastic bag containing 3.3 grams of marijuana concealed inside his underpants.

NusaBali reports that Wenger told officials that the drugs were for his personal use. He also told officials this was his first visit to Bali and he intended to visit the Island for 30 days.

The Swiss national is likely to be charged under the National Anti-Narcotics Law of 2009 with crimes punishable by a minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 20 years in prison. If found guilty, he will also be fined a minimum of Rp. 1 billion or a maximum of Rp. 10 billion.

The head of the Airport Police Precinct, Sari Takalapeta, told the press that while the amount of drugs brought by the Swiss national was relatively small, her office was inclined to prosecute the man as a dealer and not as a user eligable for a lighter, rehabilitative sentence. Noting Wenger was concealing the drug in his clothing has led her investigators to believe Wenger was doing a "dry run" in order that a larger quantity could be brought on a subsequent visit.

A Chinese woman, Lin Jia Ling (24), who smuggled 0.88 grams of methamphetamines via Bali’s Airport in her undergarments on May 4, 2015 was recently sentenced to five years in prison and fined Rp. 1 billion.

More information is coming into hand regarding reports of an alleged hijacking by pirates of a German-owned Sailing Yacht S/Y Faraway on the Lombok Straits on October 13, 2015.

Earlier reports on Balidiscovery.com Yo-Ho-Ho: True Tale of Woe  told of how a German passenger on the ship was sending frantic SMS messages to friends ashore telling a forced boarding by violent pirates somewhere between Lombok and Bali. Indonesian police and German Embassy officials were contacted, triggering a search for the vessel and its imperiled crew of two.

Information published on cruisersforum.com now suggests that Diana Chirsta Lorens, who had signed on as “crew” with the German owner, had joined the ship in the Philippines. The woman, said to be in her 70s, was not happy on the voyage and demanded to be dropped in Bali. The Captain, a fellow German, refused to land the woman in Indonesia as he had no official sailing permit for Indonesia territory needed to make such a stop and told the woman she must remain on board until the ship’s next port-of-call at Christmas Island in Australian territory.

Upset with not being permitted to disembark ahead of schedule, Loren reportedly tried to force the Captain's hand and began sending SMS messages to family and friends claiming a pirate hijacking was underway.

The yacht eventually landed safely in Christmas Island where Lorens was allowed to leave the ship.

It is not clear if Indonesian or Australian authorities will pursue the very serious legal matter of making a fictitious criminal report against the woman.

Marine security experts found both the nature and location of the original report highly irregular and greeted the piracy report with some skepticism.
 

The Meteorology, Climate and Geophysics Agency in Denpasar (BMKG-Bali), Bali is predicting that rainfall will become more frequent in most areas of Bali by the end of November 2015.

The head of BMKG-Bali, I Wayan Suardana, told Beritabali.com: “Current conditions are still dominated by low barometric pressure, stimulating winds from a southeasterly direction. By the end of November, the winds will shift and blow from the west which should bring rain.”

He said that once the rains began they would help sweep volcanic dust produced by Mount Barujari out of the atmosphere and generally improve aviation weather conditions for Bali.

While rain and storm clouds will form around Bali starting from the end of the month of November, this weather poses little to no threat to aviation in comparison to clouds of volcanic ash that can disrupt aircraft engine operations.

The Hotel Crystal on the Bay, Bali that has been placed formally under a cease and desist seal by the Badung Regency since June 3, 2015, is once again back in the news.

As reported by DenPost, rumors are resurfacing in Nusa Dua that the Hotel project beset with a whole range of licensing and zoning problems has somehow commenced operations.

Wayan Sarwa, a community figure in Nusa Dua and former chairman of the Benoa’s People’s Empowerment Agency (LPM-Benoa) told DenPost that while he has seen no activities underway at the Hotel, this is popularly believed to be the case within the Nusa Dua community and should be checked and verified by the Badung Enforcement Agency (Satpol PP Badung). “If we want to be sure, this has to be checked,” said Sarwa.

Sarwa complained that there is no one assigned from the Badung Satpol PP who stands guard at the Crystal on the Bay. He claim that when the hotel was originally sealed by the regency, representatives from the Satpol PP declared they would guard and supervise the site to ensure no activities took place.

Sarwa said that while he agreed with the sealing of the project, there must be a time limit during which the Hotel can be brought into conformity with the law. In the meantime, the site must be supervised to see if the violations are being corrected.

He said the prolonged sealing of the hotel is causing hardship for the people who wish to work at the hotel. Moreover, he is concerned that the partially completed building will eventually become an eyesore.

Problems Beyond Fixing?

Serious questions remain as to whether or not the Hotel Crystal on the Bayproject in Bali can be brought into conformity with the law without, in fact, changing the laws to fit the hotel. Constructed and sold to potential investors before even a building licenses was in hand, the hotel project is accused of being 8 meters taller than the maximum height allowed in Bali, infringing on protected mangrove forest areas and, in so doing, flagrantly disregarding minimum setback rules from the shoreline/mangrove forest.

Separately, the chief of the Satpol PP Badung, I Ketut Marta, confirmed that the hotel remained under seal and no activities were taking place on the project.

Related Articles

Know One Knows What Goes on Behind Closed Walls

Rare Enforcement of the Law

Broken Crystal

Too Big for its Own Beaches

Eight Meters of Illegality

The National Agency for the Mitigation of Terrorism (BNPT) held a workshop entitled “A Peace Workshop on Preventing On-Line Terrorism” at the Hotel Prama Sanur Beach on Thursday, November 12, 2015.

As reported by DenPost, the seminar was held to educate the younger generation to not involve themselves in creating criminal content on the Internet.

The General Secretary of the BNPT, Abdurrahman Kadir told the assembly that every nation in the world – including Indonesia - faces a new form of terrorism that utilizes information technology. Terrorists have made major advances, he warned, via their ability to use networking applications to spread propaganda, recruit followers and build up their terror networks. Adding, “The main target (of terrorists) is the younger generation who number among the biggest users of the Internet.”

Kadir explained that for today’s youth the Internet has become more than a means of communication and information, but also a means of religious study. This, in and of itself, is only a problem when the religious information obtained on the Internet contains errant, radical teachings spread to impressionable members of the coming generation.

Research carried out in 2012 by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Police Anti-terrorism Unit (Densus 88) examining 110 known terrorists showed 47.3% were between the ages of 21-30 year dominated by people who had completed high school.

In response to the continuing threat posed by the misuse of the Internet by terrorist elements in society the BNPT has developed a multi-front approach that includes education, monitoring the use of social media and the closure of errant websites.

The Jakarta Globe reports that tourists are being advised to avoid visiting Mount Bromo in East Java due to increased volcanic activity at the iconic Indonesian tourism destination.

In a statement issued on Friday, November 13, 2015, by Akhmad Subhan, of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG), reported increased seismic activity accompanied by the emission of smoke and ash clouds from Bromo’s crater.

Smoke clouds are seen rising to 100-150 meters above the crater and carried to the southwest by the prevailing seasonal winds.

Meanwhile, Bromo Tennger Semeru National Park officials have confirmed that the officials warning level on the volcano has been raised from 1 to 2 on the government’s four-point scale. As a result, visitors can no longer climb to the crater’s edge and must maintain a safe distance of one kilometer.

The upgrade in Bromo is the latest in series of volcanic “awakenings” in areas surrounding Bali. Mt. Barujari at Mount Rinjani in Lombok and Mount Raung in East Java have all sprung to life in the past few months necessitating intermittent closures of Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport dating from July 2015.

Bromo’s last major eruption occurred in January 2011 – an event that caused the cancellation of some flight to Bali.

University students in Bali are protesting a massive reclaiming of land at the Benoa Port area in a sector officially designated as a protected mangrove reserve. Forming a part of the protest is the student’s anger that the illegal reclamation is being carried out by a PT Pelindo - a State-owned Company (BUMN) in a clandestine manner without following established procedures.

As reported by Beritabali.com, the coordinator of the One Student One Tree Warmadewa Movement, I Kadek Robby Astina Putra Para, explained that his group rejects the widening of the port area by PT Pelindo by means of reclamation without first completing the required environmental impact study.

“Violations such as these have taken place over years without any firm measure from the government or the relevant officials,” said Astina on Saturday, November 15, 2015.

The student protestors are calling on the Government to take action against a number of illegal uses of Bali’s mangrove at Benoa Harbor committed by both individuals and corporations.

Symbolizing their protest and commitment to the mangrove, some 1,500 students from Denpasar’s Warmadewa University recently undertook a tree-planting project at Benoa Bay.

The students of Warmadewa have been continually planting mangrove trees in Benoa Bay since 1996 in order to help preserve the natural environment under the “One Student One Tree” initiative.

The student are demanding the government take steps to end the ongoing debate over the future use of Bali’s mangrove in order that public dissent can end and the proper environmentally-considered development of Bali can proceed.

Following the Friday, July 13, 2105 terrorist attack on six locations in Paris, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla have heaped condemnation on the attacks that have left more than 129 dead ands some 350 people injured.

Speaking at a press conference at a Jakarta airport before flying out to attend the G-20 Summit in Turkey and quoted by BBC Indonesia, President Widodo said, “Terrorism of any kind cannot be tolerated and I ask the international world to fight terrorism together.”

The official Twitter account of the Indonesian President conveyed condolences to the family of those wo had died and repeated his blanket condemnation of terrorism in any form.

Since the attack ISIS has stepped forward to claim responsibility for the atrocities.

Commenting separately, Indonesia’s Vice President Jusuf Kalla said, “Indonesia is shocked by this incident and condemns such attacks. None of us has any clue about what actually happened, who did it and why. But we will certainly give our moral support to France.”

Meanwhile, Kalla said security measures across the Indonesian nation have been stepped up in the wake of the Paris attacks.

A number of tourism leaders in Bali are joining a chorus calling on the National Government to include Australian passport holders in the long list of visitors entitled to visa-free entry to Bali and the rest of Indonesia.

Beritabali.com reports that those encouraging Australia’s inclusion in the visa-free list cite the current exclusion of Indonesia’s near neighbor as both discriminatory and unfair.

The vice-chairman of Commission II of the Provincial House of Representatives (DPRD-Bali), Cokorda Gde Asmara Putra Sukawati, said: “Australian tourist visiting Indonesia should be freed from the need to purchase a visa-on-arrival. I am shocked that Australian tourists continued to be burdened with this expense when, at the same time, official policy is to increase tourism numbers to Indonesia.”

Speaking at the DPRD-Bali on Saturday, November 14, 2015, the Gianyar legislator said the current discrimination being practiced against Australian visitors has the potential of sowing dissent among the very group that represents the largest source of Bali visitors. He contends that if the visa-free status was extended to Australians this would help increase Australian visitors to Bali and all of Indonesia.

“They spend the most money in Bali, because there are so many of them and the period they stay is much longer than the growing number of Chinese visitors,” said Sukawati.

Sukawati said he did not know why the Central Government has singled out Australians for exemption from those eligible for a visa-free visit to Indonesia, but is asking that the current policy be reconsidered to include Australians. Adding: “If the government wants more international tourists to come to Indonesia, then it would be best to include Australians on the visa-free list. Australians are the most numerous visitors to Bali because of their close proximity. The value of the Australian currency is higher than the Indonesian Rupiah. Bali will benefit if visa-free status is also extended to Australians.”

Australian continues to be one of the few developed countries not included on the list of 90 countries currently eligible for a visa-free visit to Indonesia.

Related Articles

Editorial: Plain Talk

Visa-Free Countries to Indonesia Just Doubled

Kompas.com reports that the level of seismic activity at Mt. Barujari at Lombok’s Mt. Rinjani has begun to decline.

The Head of the Data, Information and Public Relations Section of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, told the press on Saturday, November 14, 2015, “The eruptions of the offspring (Mr. Barujari) in Lombok continues, but with less intensity.”

Sutopo said observations at Sembalun at 11:00 am, saw white smoke rising from the volcano to a height of 1,600 meters, drifting in westerly and southwesterly directions.

Volcanic tremors were peaking at a maximum of 25 mm, with most falling in the range of 9-10 mm. The strongest eruptions were ejecting dust clouds to a height of 2,000 meters from the peak of Mt. Barujari or around 4,350 meters above sea level.

The official status of the mountain is Level II (Vigilant II) with lava flows taking an easterly and northern course.

Experts estimate that 4.5 million cubic meters of pyroclastic materials have accumulated in the crater, causing a rise in the water level of Rinjani’s Segara Anak Crater Lake. Observers now worry that if heavy rains fall on the mountain a flooding flow will cascade from the lake. Residents living along the Kokok Putih River are urged to remain on alert, particularly should heavy rains begin to fall in the area surrounding Mount Rinjani.

The decreasing level of seismic activity and a shift in the winds to the west have allowed operations to gradually resume at the Lombok International Airport and Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport.

The Ambassador to Indonesia for New Zealand, Trevor Matheson, promised during a recent visit to Bali to facilitate scholarships for further study in New Zealand for graduates of Bali’s Mandara High School.

As reported by the State News Agency Antara, Ambassador Matheson made the promise during a visit with Bali’s Governor Made Mangku Pastika in Bali on Friday, November 13, 2015. The Ambassador expressed great interest in the elite Bali Mandara High School established in the village of Kubutambahan, Buleleng, North Bali.

The Ambassador pledged to work closely with the New Zealand Consulate General to see that conditions for the promised scholarships are met.

The Ambassador said that some 61,000 thousand New Zealanders visit Bali each year, noting that for many Kiwis, Bali and Indonesia were inseparable concepts.

The Ambassador regrets that few Indonesians visit New Zealand, a number he hopes will grow in the years ahead.

Remarking on the Bali Mandara High School in North Bali, Pastika explained that the school serves economically poor students with outstanding academic records. Student are admitted after a rigorous selection process that involves testing and psychological screening

To date, two classes have graduated from the Bali Mandara High School with many going on to study at prestigious places of higher education in Indonesia and abroad, including placements in the U.S.A., U.K., India and Norway.

Bali Safari & Marine Park has turned 8.

Adopting the theme “To Infinity and Beyond” – the 8th anniversary of Bali Safari & Marine Park is a success story built on the hard work and dedication of the popular attraction’s staff and management team. Included among those invited to the birthday bash celebration were children from several Bali orphanages and village leaders from the surrounding Balinese communities of Seongga, Lebih and Medahan.
ng="2" cellpadding="2" border="0">