BALI UPDATE #303 - 08 July 2002

Tourism Office Statement on Shooting Incident

Bali's Tourism Chief Sets the Record Straight.

As reported in Bali Update #300 a 48-year old Australia woman suffered a gunshot wound while sitting near the pool of the Kuta Beach Club on June 10, 2002.

In the face of inaccurate and sensationalist reports on the incident, including even one Australian press report that the woman had died, Bali's Provincial Chief of Tourism, Dr. Prof. Ir. Gede Pitana, has issued a formal statement addressed to Indonesia's Ambassador in Canberra.

As reported at the time of the incident by Bali Update, Dr. Pitana's statement confirmed the shooting of Mrs. Maree L. Savage by a stray bullet that caused a superficial graze wounds to her stomach. His report goes on to explain how members of the Hotel's staff brought the guest to a local medical clinic where she was treated and quickly released. Eager to do whatever they might to ameliorate the unusual and unfortunate incident, the Management of the hotel personally accompanied the victim and her husband to the airport on her originally scheduled return flight, arranging for an upgrade to Business Class seats.

The report from Dr. Pitana also has attached a note from Mrs. Savage in which she praised the hotel's management for their handling of the matter, affirming she would not be deterred from coming back to Bali again for a holiday.

Sharing the perception that the wounding was a freak occurrence, Mrs. Savage said, "I would highly recommend the Kuta Beach Club as a holiday hotel. I feel the hotel is safe and secure, comfortable, a convenient location and the staff are very friendly and helpful." She added, "I would definitely stay here again."

More information: Related Story: Australian Women Wounded at Kuta Be

Energy Bosses Gather in Bali

IIOGE Meeting Draws Top Players in Gas, Oil and Energy Sectors.

Over 300 top-level managers from a dozen nations gathered in Bali over the weekend of 05-07 July to attend the 3^rd Annual Indonesian International Oil, Gas and Energy (IIOGE) Conference.

Hosted by the state-owned oil company, Pertamina, the State Gas Distribution Company (PGN) and PLN - The National Electrical Board, the conference was officially opened by President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Friday morning. This year's event adopted as its organizing themes matters relating to the marketing of energy products, the regulatory environment, technical and financial issues related to the energy sector.

Keynote speakers at the event include Indonesia's Energy Minister and the Secretary General of OPEC who will address the executives and officials via a live video link from OPEC' s headquarters.

The Balé Joins Small Luxury Hotels

Open Only 5 Months, The Balé Now Officially Grouped Among the Best.

Small Luxury Hotels of the World, one of the pre-eminent names in luxury travel, have just announced the acceptance of the 20 luxury villas of The Balé into the prestigious fraternity of outstanding small boutique hotel properties.

Open only 5 months, The Balé has already been recognized as a contender in Bali's very stiff competition of memorable properties. With only 20 very private luxury pool villas, The Balé is a boutique resort close to Nusa Dua where adults can choose to balance their body, mind and spirit in environmentally friendly surroundings.

Boasting a dedicated staff of trained butlers, The Balé prides itself on its attention to detail and the nice personal touches to be found throughout the resort.

The Guardian of Sanctuary Resorts and The Balé, Mr. Andrew James said: "we are very pleased and proud to have attained the designation as a Small Luxury Hotel of the World so quickly."

More information: Special Offer at The Balé

Indonesia & Bali 1949

Henri Cartier Bresson Historical Photographs at ARMA July 12 - 03 August.

The Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA) in Ubud is hosting a collection of photographs taken by the legendary Life Magazine photojournalist, Henri Cartier Bresson, between 1949-1950.

Bresson, who covered Asia for Life was the first photographer to arrive at the scene of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and was one of the few western journalists to personally witness the final months of Nationalist rule in China.

Together with his wife, Retna Mohini, an Indonesian dancer, Bresson traveled across Indonesia for almost 3 years during the very earliest days of its nationhood seeking what he termed the l'instant decitif - a defining moment to be captured with his Leica Camera.

Those moments from that Indonesian journey have been preserved in this important retrospective of a monumental photographer of his era. Organized to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of President Soekarno's birth, the exhibition offer rare glimpses of a nation and its leaders in the earliest days of nation building.

The exhibition of these important Henri Cartier Bresson images will start on July 12 and run through August 03 at the Agung Rai Museum of Art.

The exhibition is sponsored by the Government of France, the Indonesia-French Association, Magnum Photos, The National Archives, and Rio Helmi Photo Gallery. Additional support was provided by Garuda Indonesia, Aerowisata International, Cemara 6, Bank Central Asia, Leo-Haks – Amsterdam and King Foto.

A Critical View From the Top

Bali's Tourism Chief Publishes Book of Critical Essays on Tourism.

Dr. Ir. I Gede Pitana, a former professor at Udayana University and now the Chief of the Provincial Tourism Office, recently presided over the official launching of a book of his own critical essays on tourism entitled, Apresiasi Kritis Terhadap Kepariwisataan Bali or A Critical Appreciation of Bali Tourism.

The 134-page, soft back volume is published in Bali by The Works and contains a compilation of articles written in the Indonesian-language Bali Post by Dr. Pitana, between July 1998 and August 2000, while he served as a professor of the Social-Economic Faculty.

In May 2001, Dr. Pitana was appointed Chief of Bali's provincial Tourism Authority.

In reviewing the article to be included in the book, Dr. Pitana said the publication of the volume represented an important test of his values and integrity. He said: "I needed to see if I still believe now, as a bureaucrat, as I did as an academician."

At the formal book launch, publisher Debe Campbell presented Dr. Pitana with the original artwork from the book cover, depicting Ulundanu Temple at Candikuning, Lake Beratan.

The volume is available for sale from Travel Works.

More information: Contact the Publisher

Ross Wilson on Center Stage

Legendary Singer-Songwriter July 11-12 at Hard Rock Hotel.

A goal, simply stated, that forms the central theme of Ross Wilson’s life: "I want to be able to play for any audience, anywhere, and have them dig my music." After over 30 years in the notoriously fickle world of rock and roll performing, this Australian artist and performer seems to be doing just that and has kept consistently busy performing his hits on back-to-back tours.

Beginning way back in 1964, while still a schoolboy, Ross recorded his first record Louie Louie in a garage. Surprising everyone, not least the performers themselves, it made the Melbourne record charts and led to a 3 record deal for The Pink Finks while the group's members were still in school.

2 years later, now forming another band, The Party Machine - the youthful performers published a book of lyrics written by Ross that were eventually seized by the police, declared obscene, and burnt. Feeling unappreciated at home, Ross left for England where he joined Procession, a legendary avant-garde Australian rock group.

Still, Ross continued to call Australia "home," and came back in 1969 to organize Sons Of the Vegetal Mother, which spawned a splinter group - Daddy Cool. Recording the #1 all-time hit "Eagle Rock" in 1971, Daddy Cool became one of the first Australian bands to make an impact on the U.S.A. live touring circuit.

Since then he's produced a bevy of hit albums, wrote and sung on a movie film track, and formed another hit band Mondo Rock - that made hits of Cool World; State of the Heart; Chemistry; and Summer of '81.

A solo career and the release of Dark Side Of the Man and Bed of Nails in 1989 were mile posts in a non-stop career that continues to flourish and unfold to this day.

2 Nights Only in Bali

Ross Wilson will be appearing at the Hard Rock Hotel's Center Stage on July 11^th and 12^th, each night at 9:30 p.m. including numbers from his most recent album GoBONGO GoWild!

Nonie and Jim Got Married

Nyoman Gunarsa's Eldest Daughter Gets Married in Style.

Celebrated Balinese Painter and Museum Owner, Nyoman Gunarsa gave the hand of his first-born daughter, Noni, in marriage on July 2, 2002, followed by a gala wedding reception 3 days later on July 5^th.

Noni, who is more formally known as Luh Estiti Adarawati Gunarsa, is a graduate level student in environmental and biological studies at Mill's College in California. She was taken in marriage by a young American computer expert, James Alley, who she met while studying in the U.S.A.. Together, they were married in a traditional Balinese Hindu ceremony celebrated by the two families and their friends, many who flew in to Bali to join the joyous occasion.

Drs. Nyoman Gunarsa

The Father of the Bride, Nyoman Gunarsa is the Owner of the Museum Seni Lukis Klasik in Klungkung, East Bali. Nyoman Gunarsa's bold expressionistic renderings of Wayang Puppet Figures and Balinese dancers are prized parts of major museum collections around the world, fetching high prices whenever they come up at auction at Christies and other major sales rooms abroad. His painting have been exhibited in solo shows in over 9 countries internationally and Gunarsa has been the recipient of numerous awards for his achievements in the arts.

A Night to Remember

Hundreds of guests were welcomed to the family compound in the village of Angkam, just south of Klungkung, and adjacent to the multi-storied painting museum established by Nyoman Gunarsa. A massive Balinese gateway leading into the house was carpeted in blue for the evening and a giant stage was installed to accommodate a formal receiving line of the bride, groom and their respective families together with performances by troupes of dancers and musicians from STSI - the Balinese Academy for the Performing and Fine Arts. The gifted students of the Academy performed a number of traditional dances, accompanied by a full gamelan orchestra to mark the occasion.

Darwin to Bali by Boat

Yacht Race to Commence 24 July.

As part of the 2002 Marine Festival the Darwin to Bali Yacht Race is set to start from Australia's Northern Territory Port of Darwin on Saturday, July 27^th.

The race will end approximately 4 days later in the Port of Benoa, Bali.

Traditionally sailed between Australia and Ambon, Maluku, the race's destination was changed two years ago to Bali due to the deteriorating security situation in the Maluku's.

Some 40 yachts are expected to participate in this year's race.

More information: Bali Discovery Yacht Services

Bali's Foreign Visitors Down 5.6%

Despite PrepCom IV Conference Visitors Number Still Behind 2001.

Foreign tourist arrivals to Bali decreased 5.6% for the first half of 2002, when compared to the same period just a year before. Despite the massive United Nation's sponsored Prepcom IV Conference in late May, only 521,191 foreign visitors arrived at Bali's Airport in the January-June period of 2002.

While a detailed breakdown of the arrival by nationalities is not yet available, earlier reports indicated downturns in the Australian and Japanese markets - traditional mainstays of Bali tourism.

GWK Strike Ends

Monument Workers Agree to Return to Work on Monday, July 01.

A strike by some 350 workers of the Garuda Wisnu Kencana Monument (GWK) ended on Monday, July 01, 2002, four days after being launched by disgruntled employees.

Discussions mediated by the local Labor Office between the workers and the Monument's management on Monday, resulted in an agreement to halt the strike and submit to an arbitration process conducted by the Provincial Department of Manpower.

The industrial action was called by the workers at the popular monument site in response to decisions by management to cut by half the service charge received from park sales and to increase working hours from a 5 to a 6 day week. On the fourth day of the strike the workers finally made good their threat to block the main access to the park by staging a sit-in at the entrance gate.

GWK Claims Continuing Losses

During the strike-site negotiations conduted by labor officials, the management explained to the employees that the Park continues to suffer financial losses, losing Rp. 2.5 billion in 2000 and Rp. 3.5 billion (approximately US$ 412,000) in 2001. Meanwhile, the employees complained that changes in work schedules and the service charge payments were unilaterally imposed by the Management without the mandatory consultation beforehand with the staff.

The workers have now returned to their posts and the Park is, once again, open for business.

Formal mediation is expected to commence next week at the Manpower Department between the Park's Management and appointed representatives of the Park's workers.

More information: Related Story : GWK Worker Stirke