(8/22/2011)
The Bali Environmental Group WALHI continues to mount public demonstrations and protests in opposition to a planned massive tourism development – the Bali International Park (BIP) planned for Jimbaran and pegged to serve participants at the APEC Summit to be held in Bali in 2013.
Kompas.com reports that while an earlier protest took the form of “street theater" [See: Acting Up to Save Bali’s Environment] the most recent protest mounted on Friday, August 19, 2011, saw a group of activists flying 50 kites in the Renon area of downtown Denpasar.
Kites ranging from small to colossal-sized measuring 11 meters long were inscribed with protest messages against the BIP project; seen by protestors as unneeded and in violation of governor Pastika’s moratorium on new hotel projects in Bali.
A. Haris, who coordinated the protest for WALHI said: “After we investigated, the land (for BIP) is public land with a HGB (right to use/rent) status. The land has been controlled by PT Citra Tama Selaras (PT.CTS) since 1994 and was never developed in accordance with its license. However, the investors are now claiming that they own the land and that they will turn it over to the government.”
The polemic over the 250 hectare project to include hotels, villas and a convention center center on its direct violation of a moratorium on new hotel projects announced by the governor who has suddenly performed an "about face" and is now supporting the Jakarta-backed project. The protestors also claim the BIP project'a new rooms are not needed to handle the APEC Summit and its construction will violate a number of other local regulations.
“Bali is sacrificing its land and its environment only to satisfy the Central Government. Moreover, a number of laws and regulations have been bypassed or revised in order to permit this megaproject to go ahead,” complained Haris.
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