TABANAN Fishermen from Tabanan and Jembrana have clashed on the high seas over fishing rights in recent weeks, with police now being called on to mediate in the dispute. According to locals the conflict began when fishermen from Medewi in Jembrana started fishing outside their traditional territory further south along the west Bali coast in [...]

DENPASAR Out-of-town traders using the Badung Market precinct to sell their wares are an unstoppable problem until alternative arrangements can be made for them, according to Satpol and the market’s management. The traders spill out of the market area into crowded Jl Gadjah Mada and narrow, congested Jl Sulawesi – Silk Street – adding to [...]

Chinese Fillip JAKARTA CLOSER relations with China are having a positive impact on tourism prospects for Indonesia. The Cultural and Tourism Ministry has set a target of 500,000 Chinese tourists for 2010. The figure is 25 percent higher than last year’s. Revenue from this influx could reach US$500 million. Bali gets nearly 20 percent of [...]

City Traffic Up 17% DENPASAR CITY traffic volumes have risen by 17.20 percent over the past five years, worsening congestion and putting additional strain on inadequate roads, the Denpasar city government says. Extra heavy vehicle traffic is chiefly to blame, according to city spokesman Made Erwin Suryadarma. He said last weekend the heaviest congestion was [...]

Hunt for Beach Thief in Disguise NUSA DUA SOUTH Kuta Police are hunting a man who dresses in police gear and steals the belongings of foreigners when they swim at Nusa Dua beaches, including the popular Geger beach. Police believe the man, known as Ui, is the leader of a syndicate of thieves from East [...]

Island Cattlemen Protect their Breed SEMARAPURA CATTLE farmers on Nusa Penida have told the provincial and regency animal husbandry departments and banks seeking to lend them money for stock improvement they don’t want the island’s distinctive cattle inseminated with sperm from animals in other parts of Bali. At a meeting late last week the farmers [...]

Cliff Collapse  Kills Digger Driver KARANGASEM A DIGGER driver at a Karagasem quarry died on Sunday after a cliff collapsed, burying him under 10 metres of rubble. Ketut Rusdana, 45, from Sebudi Village was using the machine to move material at the quarry when the accident happened. Police believe the collapse occurred after recent heavy [...]

Grandfather Arrested over Illegal Wood JEMBRANA A 57-YEAR-OLD grandfather has been arrested after Jembrana Police raided a workshop and found illegal timber thought to have been cut from nearby forests. Nengah Patra, of Sumbersari, Melaya, handed himself in at the local police post following the raid on Sunday. Police seized 30 lengths of protected rosewood [...]

Another Foreigner’s House Burgled as Thefts Continue JIMBARAN A 48-YEAR-OLD German man lost cash and electronic items when thieves broke into his Jimbaran home on Monday. Police suspect that the criminals may have scouted out the house on Jl Udayana Nuance III in advance. They broke open the front door while the resident, Rainer Aust, [...]

Police Shoot 5 Robbers on the Run DENPASAR BALI Police shot and wounded five members of a crime gang after they tried to escape when police closed in and began to arrest them for systematically burgling the empty homes of foreigners on Bali. All five men, from Palembang in South Sumatra, were shot in the [...]

New Bus System Stalls before Start-Up DENPASAR BALI’S proposed busway linking Denpasar and urban centres in three neighbouring regencies has been delayed until the end of the year because of management and technical issues. Bali transportation office head Made Santha said the government was reviewing management of the system and studying existing public transport routes [...]

Death Demand for Chief Prabangsa Murder Accused DENPASAR ~ Three prosecutors called on judges at the Denpasar District Court on Tuesday to sentence Nyoman Susrama to death for the premeditated and brutal murder of former Radar Bali journalist Anak Agung Narendra Prabangsa. “The defendant has been legally and convincingly proven to have committed a crime [...]