tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/bali-1630/articlesBali – The Conversation2023-10-17T00:46:43Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2140692023-10-17T00:46:43Z2023-10-17T00:46:43ZSaltwater crocodiles are slowly returning to Bali and Java. Can we learn to live alongside them?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/554133/original/file-20231016-29-woipe3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=20%2C20%2C6689%2C4446&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>On January 4 this year, a three-metre saltwater crocodile heaved itself out of the water and up the beach. Nothing unusual about that – except this <a href="https://denpasar.suara.com/read/2023/01/04/173710/heboh-buaya-29-meter-ditangkap-di-pantai-legian-bali-dari-mana-asalnya">croc was on Legian Beach</a>, one of Bali’s most popular spots. The emaciated reptile <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/bali-crocodile-rescuer-reveals-fate-of-reptile-who-washed-ashore-popular-beach/3738e466-a700-442d-aa5f-47ecc3c3d8c8">later died</a>. </p>
<p>Only four months later, a <a href="https://regional.kompas.com/read/2023/04/30/152218878/pria-ini-tewas-dimakan-buaya-saat-cari-ikan-di-pantai-lombok-tengah">large crocodile killed a man</a> who was spearfishing with friends in Lombok’s Awang Bay, about 100 kilometres east of Bali. Authorities caught it and transferred it to captivity. </p>
<p>You might not associate crocodiles with Bali. But the saltwater crocodile once roamed most of Indonesia’s waters, and attacks are still common in some regions. I have been collecting records of crocodilian attacks since 2010, as the creator of the worldwide database CrocAttack. What’s new is that they’re beginning to return to areas where they were wiped out. </p>
<p>Does this mean tourists and residents should be wary? It’s unlikely these islands can host anywhere near the same population densities as the wide, fish-filled rivers of Australia’s tropical north. And in Bali, it’s unlikely we’ll see any crocodile recovery because of the importance of beaches to tourism and a high human population.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550525/original/file-20230927-29-eo085s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A large saltwater crocodile tied to a boat with rope" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550525/original/file-20230927-29-eo085s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550525/original/file-20230927-29-eo085s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=284&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550525/original/file-20230927-29-eo085s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=284&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550525/original/file-20230927-29-eo085s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=284&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550525/original/file-20230927-29-eo085s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550525/original/file-20230927-29-eo085s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550525/original/file-20230927-29-eo085s.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">This 4.6-metre saltwater crocodile was captured in Lombok after the fatal attack in May.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bali Reptile Rescue</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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<h2>What happened to Indonesia’s crocodiles?</h2>
<p>Saltwater crocodiles (<em>Crocodylus porosus</em>) are also known as estuarine crocodiles, as they prefer to live in mangrove-lined rivers. They’re the largest living reptile, reaching up to seven metres in length – far larger than Indonesia’s famous Komodo dragon, which tops out at three metres. </p>
<p>Historically, crocodiles lived throughout the Indonesian archipelago. We have records of attacks on humans in <a href="https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:011071456:mpeg21:a0021">Bali from the early 20th century</a> and across <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279806685_RECENT_REPORTS_OF_SALTWATER_CROCODILES_WITHIN_EAST_JAVA_AND_BALI_PROVINCES_IN_INDONESIA">much of Java until the 1950s</a>. Even Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, <a href="https://voi.id/en/memori/20438">had crocodiles resident in many rivers</a> running through the city.</p>
<p>Crocodiles in Bali and Lombok were <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279806685_RECENT_REPORTS_OF_SALTWATER_CROCODILES_WITHIN_EAST_JAVA_AND_BALI_PROVINCES_IN_INDONESIA">killed off by the mid-20th century</a>, and later across Java. But they survived in more remote parts of the island nation. </p>
<p>Salties are now being regularly sighted in Indonesia’s densely populated island of Java, including in <a href="https://news.detik.com/berita/d-4069902/misteri-buaya-25-meter-yang-muncul-di-tanjung-priok">seas off Jakarta</a>. At least 70 people are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/may/02/crocodile-catch-conservationists-warn-against-proposed-queensland-cull">killed by crocs every year</a> across the archipelago, with the highest numbers of attacks being reported from the Bangka-Belitung islands off Sumatra and the provinces of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Kalimantan">East Kalimantan</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Nusa_Tenggara">East Nusa Tenggara</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riau">Riau</a>. </p>
<h2>Are crocodiles returning in numbers?</h2>
<p>These incidents means numbers are increasing. But recovery may not be as significant as it seems. </p>
<p>On many Indonesian islands, there’s very limited <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0264837716302009">mangrove habitat suitable for crocodiles</a>, and many creeks and rivers may be naturally too small for more than a small number of them. Even a small population recovery could quickly fill up the croc capacity of estuaries and creeks. These crocodiles are the <a href="https://environment.des.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/88273/crocodile-monitoring-plan.pdf">most territorial of all crocodilians</a>. Dominant males push out smaller male crocodiles, who set out <a href="https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jwmg.767">in search of new habitat</a>. </p>
<p>To date, Indonesia’s crocodile surveys reveal mostly <a href="https://jurnalbiologi.perbiol.or.id/home/article/9e75989e-d8e2-41f0-9b8a-c9a2992c9cbe">small</a> and <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/345977330_A_preliminary_study_on_the_population_and_habitat_of_saltwater_crocodile_Crocodylus_porosus_in_Timor_Island_East_Nusa_Tenggara">low-density populations</a>. But even the arrival of a single crocodile into human territory can spark conflict – and threaten the conservation of the species. </p>
<p>Worldwide, saltwater crocodiles are listed as a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, thanks to their <a href="https://www.iucncsg.org/365_docs/attachments/protarea/18%20--8088e67a.pdf">full population recovery in parts of northern Australia</a> after hunting was banned in the early 1970s. But in Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam the species is extinct. </p>
<p>Even in sparsely populated northern Australia, there’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/may/02/crocodile-catch-conservationists-warn-against-proposed-queensland-cull">still conflict between humans and crocs</a>, though this conflict is comparatively rare. In Indonesia, the problem is compounded by a massive human population which <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0264837716302009">puts pressure on crocodile habitat</a>.</p>
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Read more:
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<h2>Where are Bali’s crocs coming from?</h2>
<p>You might look at a map and think crocodiles moving back into Bali are coming from Australia. But there is currently no evidence of <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/australianz/killer-crocodiles-why-are-more-humans-being-attacked-in-east-timor#:%7E:text=East%20Timor%20sits%20between%20Indonesia,and%20collecting%20water%20to%20drink.">significant crocodile movement between Australia and Indonesia</a>. It would be a brave crocodile to swim more than 1,000 kilometres from Australia to Bali. </p>
<p>What we are likely witnessing is a crocodile exodus from nearby areas, though we would need to do genetic analysis to prove it. That’s because the surviving croc population centres are much closer than Australia. For Bali and Lombok, crocodiles are likely migrating from the islands to the east, such as <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349111616_Saltwater_crocodile_Crocodylus_porosus_attacks_in_East_Nusa_Tenggara_Indonesia">Flores, Lembata, Sumba and Timor</a>. </p>
<p>The most likely source of Java’s crocodile arrivals is southern Sumatra, which is less than 30km from Java at its nearest. This area has long been prone to crocodile attacks. </p>
<h2>What does this mean for residents and tourists?</h2>
<p>Earlier this month, a relatively large crocodile was photographed <a href="https://www.detik.com/sumut/berita/d-6948883/buaya-nyantai-berjemur-di-keramba-nelayan-tak-berani-beraktivitas">basking on a large fish trap in West Lombok</a>, less than 50km from the tourist hotspot of the Gili Islands. </p>
<p>The spike in sightings and attacks suggests we’re going to have to find ways of living alongside these reptiles. The coastal waters and estuaries of Lombok and western Java are now likely home to a small resident population. </p>
<p>What can be done to prevent attacks? First, people have to know that crocs are back. Increasing crocodile awareness and caution is vital to save lives. </p>
<p>Some researchers believe attacks on us and our livestock get more likely if <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352055695_MAPPING_THE_DISTRIBUTION_OF_SALTWATER_CROCODILE_Crocodylus_porosus_AND_RISKS_OF_HUMAN-CROCODILE_CONFLICTS_IN_SETTLEMENTS_AROUND_KUTAI_NATIONAL_PARK_EAST_KALIMANTAN">mangroves have been destroyed or fishing grounds fished out</a>. Protecting crocodile habitat and prey species can both secure the future of the species and cut the risk of attacks. </p>
<p>Does it mean you should cancel your next Bali trip? No. While restoration efforts have <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/123/1/012022/pdf">brought back tracts of mangroves</a> along some coastlines in Bali, the sheer popularity of the island means it’s unlikely any crocodile population will ever be reestablished there.</p>
<p>But we could well see crocodiles slowly return to less populated parts of Java and Lombok. While that may fill us with anxiety, they’re a vital part of the ecosystem. Crocodiles are meant to be there. </p>
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Read more:
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brandon Michael Sideleau is affiliated with IUCN Crocodile Specialist Group. </span></em></p>After decades of absence, crocodiles are now being seen off Bali, Lombok and Java. That’s good for the species – but what about us?Brandon Michael Sideleau, PhD student studying human-saltwater crocodile conflict, Charles Darwin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2028742023-06-09T12:26:07Z2023-06-09T12:26:07ZWhy we’re ‘interviewing’ captive birds to find the best to release into the wild<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530087/original/file-20230605-29-10occ9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=234%2C243%2C5682%2C3656&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A Bali myna at the Waddesdon Aviary in England.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bali_myna#/media/File:A_Bali_Starling_or_Rothschild_Mynah_at_the_Waddesdon_Aviary.jpg">National Trust</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Not all animals are the same. Even within a species, some are bolder and better at solving problems than others. We have found this to be <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/epdf/10.1098/rsos.211781">true</a> in the case of the <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22710912/183006359">critically endangered</a> Bali myna, a rare bird found only on the island of Bali in Indonesia.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22710912/129874226">Fewer than 50 adult</a> Bali mynas remain in their native dry forest and savanna on the island. Conservationists are trying, with mixed results, to reintroduce more birds to boost the wild population. </p>
<p>Understanding how each animal perceives, processes, stores and acts upon information (what scientists describe as “cognition”) could determine how successful these efforts are. In fact, the future of many threatened species could depend upon it.</p>
<p>These birds will need to navigate villages, farms and other landscapes dominated by people and recognise food and good places to nest while avoiding a range of predators and other hazards. Their mission is to survive, thrive and breed successfully. </p>
<p><a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/epdf/10.1098/rsos.211781">Our research</a> has started to identify the characteristics that make individual Bali mynas most suitable for this task, and so, help conservationists select the best candidates for release into the wild. </p>
<p>We tested how 22 Bali mynas in three UK zoos responded to jelly, a food they had never encountered before, and strange objects placed next to familiar food that makes up their daily diet, including fruit and insects. </p>
<p>We also gauged each bird’s ability to solve problems, such as lifting a lid or pulling a string to reach hidden worms. How each bird behaved indicated which were most adaptable and may be most likely to succeed while navigating new environments. </p>
<p>We found birds took longer to touch familiar food when an item they had never seen before was present. This fear of novelty was more pronounced in adult birds than juveniles, but the birds were quicker to approach new food and objects when other species such as white-spotted laughing-thrushes or lilac-breasted rollers were in their aviaries, suggesting they can overcome fear when competing for food. </p>
<p>While individual birds behaved differently from one another, they reacted consistently to several types of unfamiliar food and objects. It was the bolder birds who were quicker to solve each new problem-solving task, suggesting they may be more adaptable once released too.</p>
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<h2>How this benefits conservation</h2>
<p>Many animal species are <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/en">threatened with extinction</a> due to habitat destruction, poaching and pollution, among other threats. Returning species to environments they once occupied can help counteract these losses. </p>
<p>But such reintroductions often fail, as many animals raised in captivity struggle to find food, adapt to changing habitats, recognise predators and breed. In fact, <a href="https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/acv.12534">30% of reintroductions</a> have ran into problems due to the behaviour of the animals themselves.</p>
<p>How an animal makes a decision like where to build a nest, how easily they adapt their behaviour to new circumstances and how they learn, including from other animals (both within and outside their own species) are all important criteria for assessing how promising each one is for leading the return of their species to the wild.</p>
<p>We learned which Bali mynas are likely to be best suited for release: typically the bolder or more cautious birds, suggesting two different, but ultimately successful survival strategies. </p>
<p>But this sort of research can also note how each animal behaves once in the wild to better prepare animals for coping once released. Some individuals respond more flexibly to new or changed environments than others. </p>
<p>For instance, bolder captive swift foxes are <a href="https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1017/S1367943004001490">less likely to survive</a> after release than more cautious foxes, potentially as they are less likely to avoid predators, other competitive animals or risky items left by people, such as traps.</p>
<p>These insights can help conservationists train animals to recognise and respond appropriately to threats like predators and to find safe food or places to breed. Research has shown that <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989421002080">pre-release training</a> of ʻAlalā (Hawaiian crows, which are categorised as <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22706052/94048187">extinct in the wild</a>) helps the birds learn what to do if they encounter a predator like <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22695929/93534506">the Hawaiian hawk</a> in a forest.</p>
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<p>Being able to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169534799016638?via=ihub">measure the impact</a> of these efforts can tell us whether they improve survival rates. So far, the evidence is promising. </p>
<p>Work with juvenile black-tailed prairie dogs showed that <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003347207000061">using experienced adults</a> in predator training enhanced their long-term survival post-release.</p>
<h2>Limits to what animals can adapt to</h2>
<p>The race to reintroduce species is accelerating. Rapid changes in how land is used, from forest to farmland or suburban neighbourhoods for instance, are eclipsing the growth of natural habitats. </p>
<p>Understanding how different animals respond to pressures like urbanisation and applying this to conservation is important. But there are limits to what even the most adaptable animals can overcome, and certain pressures diminish advantageous traits like being a quick learner. </p>
<p>Research on the invasive common myna in Australia showed birds living in <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0019535">towns and cities</a> were more opportunistic foragers and less fearful of predators and also quicker to solve simple problems than those found in rural areas. </p>
<p>But urban noise pollution, like the sound of traffic, has been found to impair learning and memory as well as sleep in <a href="http://eprints.bmsu.ac.ir/3638/">rodents</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0269749120361728?casa_token=tuEf0c6Mj6UAAAAA:EnvuatUa8bmkEDCYpDJFpxXut9aTAubmYHKiBScEJLsY4CLW1o_Mqy5TDb7lgnPFbWntsRp5MA">Australian magpies</a>.</p>
<p>By joining forces to combine efforts and insights across research, conservation and education, people in different fields can work together to better improve the chances of protecting the natural world.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202874/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stuart Marsden receives funding from EAZA, Chester Zoo and the Silent Forest Campaign. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elias Garcia-Pelegrin and Rachael Miller (Harrison) do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Our experiments with the critically endangered Bail myna showed some birds are bolder than others.Rachael Miller (Harrison), Lecturer in Biology & Animal Behaviour, Anglia Ruskin UniversityElias Garcia-Pelegrin, Assistant Professor in Comparative Cognition and Evolutionary Psychology, National University of SingaporeStuart Marsden, Professor of Conservation Ecology, Manchester Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1961212022-12-07T22:04:33Z2022-12-07T22:04:33ZIndonesia’s new criminal code isn’t just about sex outside marriage. It endangers press and religious freedom<p>Indonesia’s controversial new criminal code was passed into law on Tuesday, replacing a clunky old code dating back to at least 1918. Lawmakers have tried for decades to replace it. In fact, the last time legislators tried in 2019, it triggered the largest public protests in Indonesia since the 1998 fall of former president Soeharto.</p>
<p>This time, politicians rushed it through at short notice, despite widespread criticism and limited opportunities for public consultation. In the end, the code passed with the support of all but two small parties.</p>
<p>Many of its provisions are dangerously vague and wide in their scope – “rubber provisions”, as Indonesians say – that empower the state at the expense of citizens. </p>
<p>The provisions that have attracted the most criticism are those that impose conservative moral values about sexuality, and those that restrict rights to freedom of expression.</p>
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Read more:
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<h2>A probationary period for death sentences</h2>
<p>One positive change in the new code is the introduction of a probationary period for death sentences. A death row inmate who demonstrates good behaviour during this period and exhibits remorse can now have his or her sentence changed from death to a term of imprisonment. </p>
<p>This signals a welcome step away from the “no mercy” approach adopted under President Joko Widodo (known as Jokowi). If this provision had been in place in the past, it might have allowed Australian drug offenders Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan to escape the firing squad. </p>
<p>However, this reform is a lonely one. Too many of the changes introduced by the new code are highly regressive, removing or restricting freedoms previously won.</p>
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<h2>Extramarital sex and other ‘morality’ provisions</h2>
<p>Two provisions have already attracted attention internationally. One punishes extramarital sex with up to a year in prison, and the other says couples who live together without being legally married also face jail. There are fears unmarried foreign couples visiting Bali, Indonesia’s holiday island, might be targeted. </p>
<p>However, these two offences are <em>delik aduan</em>, that is, complaint offences. This means they cannot apply unless a close member of the family – a husband or wife, a parent or child – report the matter to the police. That makes it unlikely the new provisions would ever be deployed against an unmarried foreign tourist couple (although it’s possible they could be used against a foreigner with an Indonesian partner if the Indonesian’s family reports them). </p>
<p>There is more concern about the impact of these provisions on Indonesians, especially young couples. They allow families to use the police and the courts to enforce their views about sexuality and choice of partner. </p>
<p>It is also feared the new law will be used to target gay and lesbian people, who cannot marry under Indonesian law. Homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia (except in the province of Aceh) but opponents of the new code say it criminalises gay and lesbian people by stealth. </p>
<p>Gay and lesbian people are also likely to be targeted under another provision prohibiting “indecent acts”. This is only very vaguely defined and would probably catch public acts of affection between people of the same gender.</p>
<p>The new code also contains provisions that impose jail terms for the dissemination of information about contraception – even explaining how to obtain it. There are exceptions for government family planning activities, but this provision clearly limits women’s freedom to choose.</p>
<p>Other provisions impose a four-year sentence on any woman who has an abortion, and longer terms for those who perform it (although there are exceptions for rape victims and medical emergencies). </p>
<h2>Restrictions on freedom of expression</h2>
<p>The new code contains provisions that criminalise insulting public officials, including the president and members of the government. There is no defence of truth. In other words, an offence is committed if the official is insulted, even if the allegations are true. </p>
<p>The chilling effect this would have on open debate and press freedom are obvious. In fact, equivalent provisions were struck out of the previous code by the Constitutional Court as unconstitutional. This is a flagrant attempt to reinstate those provisions, empowering the government to crack down on its opponents.</p>
<p>Other provisions ban the spreading of teachings that contradict the state ideology, Pancasila. This could also be deployed against government critics.</p>
<p>Human rights activists are also concerned about press freedom implications of two other provisions. The first prohibits the broadcasting and distribution of fake news (which is undefined) resulting in disturbance or unrest in the community and imposes a sentence of up to two years.</p>
<p>The second is even more dangerous for journalists. It states any person who broadcasts or distributes news that is unverified or exaggerated or incomplete (terms that are also not defined) will also face jail.</p>
<p>Other very controversial provisions deal with blasphemy. The code introduces increased restrictions on religion and religious life that will strengthen and expand the bases on which minority religious groups can be persecuted. This will aggravate a growing problem in post-Soeharto Indonesia.</p>
<h2>Constitutional Court challenge</h2>
<p>This deeply flawed new criminal code is likely to meet with stiff opposition from lawyers and activists, including protests, even though the new code bans “unannounced demonstrations”. And it’s inevitable it will end up in the Constitutional Court, which has certainly been willing to strike out legislation that contradicts the Constitution in the past.</p>
<p>However, activists are now worried the recent dismissal of a Constitutional Court judge by the national legislature may have changed this. </p>
<p>Lawmakers claimed Justice Aswanto, who had originally been nominated by them, had acted contrary to the legislature’s interests by doing his job and striking down unconstitutional laws. Without a clear legal basis, they had him “recalled” and President Jokowi swore in a replacement. </p>
<p>Some predict this will make the remaining judges much more cautious when the code comes before them.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1600276062021091328"}"></div></p>
<h2>A long campaign</h2>
<p>Most Indonesia-watchers agree democratic regression has increased over the last decade. The new code certainly fits that pattern. But it may also be linked to the hugely important presidential and legislative elections scheduled for February 2024. </p>
<p>President Jokowi is in his second term and cannot run again, so the elections will likely result in a major recalibration of power and wealth in Indonesia that will last for five or even ten years (if the new president wins a second term). </p>
<p>Politicians are already jostling for position and some have begun campaigning. The identity politics of religion and morality have played a central role Indonesia’s bitterly fought electoral contests in recent years, and the new code reflects this. </p>
<p>It allows the politicians who backed it to claim a “law and order” success where others had failed for years, and to assert conservative morality “family values” they think will resonate with their voters. This is particularly important for nationalist politicians seeking to bolster their religious credentials. </p>
<p>And, of course, the new code also delivers the government potent new legal weapons it can deploy against its critics.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/at-50-indonesias-legal-aid-institute-continues-to-stand-on-the-side-of-victims-148777">At 50, Indonesia's Legal Aid Institute continues to stand on the side of victims</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/196121/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tim Lindsey receives funding from the Australian Research Council and has previously received funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs.</span></em></p>This deeply flawed new criminal code is likely to meet with stiff opposition from lawyers and activists. This might include protests and even court challenges.Tim Lindsey, Malcolm Smith Professor of Asian Law and Director of the Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1943902022-11-14T14:00:35Z2022-11-14T14:00:35ZG20: tensions likely to emerge as world leaders gather for Bali summit<p>The leaders of the world’s biggest economies <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/14/g20-summit-2022-explainer-everything-you-need-to-know-about-this-weeks-crucial-summit">assemble in Bali this week</a> for the annual G20 summit. They do so facing multiple interconnected global crises. Russia’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/ukraine-invasion-2022-117045">war in Ukraine</a>, economic slowdown <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/the-impact-of-china-economic-slowdown-6499397">in China</a>, heightened Sino-American tensions <a href="https://theconversation.com/china-us-tensions-how-global-trade-began-splitting-into-two-blocs-188380">over Taiwan</a>, precipitous worldwide increases in costs of living, and growing global food shortages provide a worrying backdrop to the summit. </p>
<p>Beyond this perfect storm of predicaments, the G20’s Indonesia hosts have set <a href="https://sdg.iisd.org/events/g20-leaders-summit-2022/">an ambitious agenda</a>. Leaders are set to discuss issues spanning the environment, health, security and development. Busy and contentious days at the top table of global governance await. </p>
<p>Despite it being the most powerful political leaders sitting around the summit table, there is actually little that G20 leaders can do to address the multitude, magnitude and complexity of crises the world now faces. They meet at a time of conflict over the most dangerous geopolitical flashpoints and without consensus on how to respond to political, economic and social upheaval. </p>
<p>While the G20 has always been composed of competitors on the world stage, in Bali the likes of China, Russia and the US will meet with open antagonism. The G20 can govern as a club of rivals, but not as one of adversaries. As a <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-does-g20-do">consensus-based forum</a>, it’s simply not designed for an international domain riven with such geopolitical tension. </p>
<h2>From crisis committee to committee in crisis</h2>
<p>The G20 began life as a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2346.2010.00909.x">crisis committee</a>. It first formed as a group of finance ministers responding to regional economic instabilities <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Social-Closure-and-International-Society-Status-Groups-from-the-Family/Naylor/p/book/9781032094106">in the mid-1990s</a> and was subsequently elevated to the leaders’ level to counter the global financial crisis in 2008. </p>
<p>The G20 was effective in its trial-by-fire infancy because its members agreed on the nature of the financial problems and on how to address them. The club was premised on its members subscribing to the “<a href="https://www.intelligenteconomist.com/washington-consensus/">Washington consensus</a>” of neoliberal economic management. This has been typified by commitments to debt reduction, deficit elimination and trade liberalisation. </p>
<p>It was also underpinned by a belief that economic governance could be essentially depoliticised, such that financial upheaval could be addressed by technocratic means. In the post-cold war “<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/24027184#metadata_info_tab_contents">end of history</a>” moment, stewardship of the global economy could <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/20048208#metadata_info_tab_contents">largely be left to</a> central bankers, state bureaucrats, and international financial institutions. </p>
<p>The neoliberal consensus and narrow focus served the group well for a time. But “mission creep in the years since has enlarged the G20’s remit well beyond economic and financial matters. A key problem with such an expanded remit is that as the range of topics the group seeks to manage grows, so too do the opportunities for <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41311-022-00379-8">policy divergence</a>. </p>
<p>Moreover, even the neoliberal consensus has weakened – most notably with dramatic policy reversals by the US during the Trump administration. While the US appears to be returning to its usual positions under his successor Joe Biden, the dynamics that drove Trump’s nationalist protectionism have further accelerated and intensified globally. Combined with resurgent authoritarian willingness to flex military muscle, history has come roaring back. </p>
<p>In contrast to <a href="https://www.g7germany.de/g7-en/g7-summit/g7-members">the G7</a>, the G20 was designed to be more diverse and representative, while maintaining the G7’s consensus-based <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-does-g20-do">decision-making model</a>. There are no votes, no majority rule – if the club is to take a position, promote a policy, or support a project, all its members must unanimously agree to it. The G20’s varied membership makes it more legitimate as a global institution. But with its leading members now directly at odds with one another, precisely when the world needs its crisis committee, the G20 has tied its own hands. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, the western-focused G7, which increasingly seemed like an anachronism, has now found <a href="https://www.globalgovernanceproject.org/a-chance-to-lead/tristen-naylor/">a renewed sense of purpose</a>. While lacking the G20’s legitimacy and diversity, the G7 unanimously shares a commitment to the rules-based international order and the protection of democratic institutions. This is not to say that this club’s ideals are better, but to note that a tight-knit, like-minded group of allies can function – if not thrive – in a turbulent international domain, while a much larger club, with little ideologically holding them together and much driving them apart, cannot. </p>
<h2>Relic of a bygone era</h2>
<p>If we are in a new era of intense geopolitical competition, we will need to revisit the institutions that were created during post-cold war moment of unipolarity. They were not built for this world. The return of great power politics does not necessarily mean that multilateral governance cannot work. But it does mean that the type of governance groups that have any hope of being useful are those that look somewhat different from the G20 and more like the G7 – smaller clubs made up of politically aligned states. </p>
<p>The G20’s ambition for global, representative and legitimate governance remains admirable, but the world in which it finds itself has changed. The harsh reality of today’s international politics means that unless there is a sudden and dramatic reversal in political trends, the G20 may soon find itself consigned to the past as a utopian relic.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194390/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tristen Naylor does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The G20 meets this week as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, soaring energy prices and economic slowdown places leaders at odds with one another.Tristen Naylor, Assistant Professor of International Politics and History, University of CambridgeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1915122022-10-11T19:04:50Z2022-10-11T19:04:50Z20 years after the Bali bombings, survivors are still processing a unique kind of grief<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/488037/original/file-20221004-16-vc1ykq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4000%2C2994&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Bali bombings commemorative mural at Bondi Beach, Sydney.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Droogie</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Today marks the 20th anniversary of the <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/202-people-died-in-the-2002-bali-bombings-this-is-who-they-were/ow30ib8sw">2002 Bali bombings</a>, which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians – our <a href="https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/bali-bombings">largest</a> single loss of life from an act of terror.</p>
<p>But we hear less about the wider group of close family members and friends of people who died. </p>
<p>Twenty years on, these people are facing life without their loved ones and dealing with the way they were taken away.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/some-survivors-will-find-peace-and-healing-in-bali-2002-but-others-may-find-the-series-triggering-189538">Some survivors will find peace and healing in Bali 2002 – but others may find the series triggering</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Grief after terrorism is different</h2>
<p>Grief specialists describe grieving like a form of <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2006-20231-005">storytelling</a>, a process by which we make sense of the loss and what the change means for our lives. </p>
<p>A key part is to connect the news of their passing with the many memories and routines that involved them. This “sorting” process can take months or years but is one way we move to a new story while also staying connected to them.</p>
<p>Losing a loved one in traumatic circumstances can interfere with these processes and lead to persistent or <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07481187.2010.496686">prolonged grief</a> that does not ease over time.</p>
<p>Deaths that are sudden, violent and affect close relationships fall into this category. Reminders of the death can trigger traumatic memories for those left behind.</p>
<p>Terrorism has the further dimension of being both calculated and quite random in its impacts. It leaves survivors struggling to make sense of why this horror affected them.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/remembering-the-bali-bombings-ten-years-on-10040">Remembering the Bali bombings ten years on</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What we found</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.mja.com.au/system/files/issues/198_05_180313/ste11480_fm.pdf">Our interviews</a> with Bali survivors eight years after the attacks found those physically injured or experiencing prolonged grief had the highest levels of distress.</p>
<p>Early steps in bereavement generally involve accepting the reality of the loss, partly by allowing yourself to experience the pain of the loss and being able to draw new connections and meaning. </p>
<p>However, after someone is harmed through violence, loved ones can avoid thinking about the loss. This can limit their ability to separate the life lost from how they died.</p>
<p>Over time, the two may “fuse” together, where thoughts about loved ones raise distress about what they experienced. So close family and friends can <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/complicated-grief/symptoms-causes/syc-20360374">avoid reminiscing</a> and the usual processing of grief.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/theres-not-always-closure-in-the-never-ending-story-of-grief-3096">There's not always 'closure' in the never-ending story of grief</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<h2>Can anniversaries trigger distress?</h2>
<p>The 20th anniversary is similar to other commemorations Bali survivors have worked through in the past two decades. </p>
<p>Many have learned to control or reduce their emotional triggers and are more likely to reflect upon and celebrate their loved ones than dwell upon the terrorism event itself.</p>
<p>At the same time, traumatic grief can last for decades, and most people do not receive effective treatment. </p>
<p>These people remain vulnerable to such triggers, particularly news that is unexpected or presents graphic detail.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1573177025149673472"}"></div></p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-it-wrong-to-make-a-film-about-the-port-arthur-massacre-a-trauma-experts-perspective-151277">Is it wrong to make a film about the Port Arthur massacre? A trauma expert's perspective</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>How best to support survivors psychologically?</h2>
<p>Strong support networks and having people to confide in are critical to recovery. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.mja.com.au/system/files/issues/199_11_161213/ste10540_fm.pdf">Our study found</a> married or partnered participants had the lowest levels of distress. Support that was non-judgmental and allowed “time and space” was also most valued, whether or not that came from a partner. </p>
<p>One family member told us what was important was:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>People being there for you, where you are that day, and not telling you what to do or how to feel.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>For others, working with authorities early on to get clear details of what happened brought some understanding and comfort. One person who lost several friends told us:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>For me, it was being able to know the circumstances of their death.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Psychological “talk” therapies such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-cognitive-behaviour-therapy-37351">cognitive behavioural therapy</a> are effective in <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMcp1315618">up to 69% of cases</a> of prolonged grief. </p>
<p>A key approach involves deliberate exposure to distressing thoughts and images related to their loved one’s death but in a safe and structured environment. This allows distress and trigger reactions to be reduced in a controlled way. Ultimately, this can support people to accept the loss. </p>
<p>One study participant told us:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I believe you should try and accept it, which is very hard, but if you don’t it is very difficult to get over it.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Memorial sites are important too</h2>
<p>Memorial sites also have an important role. These are a focal point for support networks and rituals, helping to create new memories of their loved ones, based in the present.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/488030/original/file-20221004-23-4r2yo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Chloe Byron mural Frangipani Girl" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/488030/original/file-20221004-23-4r2yo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/488030/original/file-20221004-23-4r2yo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488030/original/file-20221004-23-4r2yo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488030/original/file-20221004-23-4r2yo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488030/original/file-20221004-23-4r2yo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488030/original/file-20221004-23-4r2yo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/488030/original/file-20221004-23-4r2yo4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Frangipani Girl’ Chloe Byron died in Bali at the age of 15.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://bondigraffiti.com/current-artwork/bali-memorial-frangipani-girl/">Droogie/Peter Carette</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The mural “Frangipani Girl” is a <a href="https://www.aquabumps.com/2008/10/20/yesterday/">well-known example</a> at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.</p>
<p>The mural is a celebration of the life of Chloe Byron, who died in Bali at the age of 15. </p>
<p>It also represents the journey through grief and renewal her father Dave has undertaken. <a href="https://karenswain.com/david-byron/">He said</a> in a podcast interview:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Every day I’ve got a choice between a happy memory of Chloe over the memory of her tragic death […] it’s the choice between a great day and a terrible one. </p>
</blockquote>
<hr>
<p><em>If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. You can also <a href="https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/talk-to-a-counsellor">talk to a counsellor</a> 24/7 at Beyond Blue.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/191512/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Garry Stevens received funding from the Australian Research Council </span></em></p>Losing a loved one in traumatic circumstances can lead to persistent grief that does not ease over time.Garry Stevens, Director of Humanitarian and Development Studies, Western Sydney UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1895382022-09-22T20:16:30Z2022-09-22T20:16:30ZSome survivors will find peace and healing in Bali 2002 – but others may find the series triggering<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/485506/original/file-20220920-20-fmh48f.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C8%2C5559%2C3692&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stan</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Around 11pm on October 12 2002, the first of three separate bombs detonated when a suicide bomber entered Paddy’s Bar in Kuta, Bali.</p>
<p>Another bomb detonated shortly after outside the Sari nightclub, before a final explosion in front of the US consulate.</p>
<p>Stan’s new series, Bali 2002, takes a look at these attacks and their aftermath. The physical and emotional traumas play out with desperation and intensity.</p>
<p>The series also shows how our humanity comes out to shine in desperate and violent times. It shows friends helping friends, people helping strangers, doctors on holiday rushing to the hospital to lend a hand and the Australian Federal Police’s directive to help everyone – and not only prioritise Australians.</p>
<p>While the series creators should be lauded for their close consultations with attack survivors in making the series, this dramatisation highlights the very public nature of terrorism. This public nature can have highly personal impacts.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2392">my research</a> into the events of this night and their aftermath, I have spoken to many people who were there or lost someone in the attack. </p>
<p>Some survivors will find solace in this sharing of their stories; others will struggle with the public commemoration. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1qvr4xlBJ90?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
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<h2>Sharing stories</h2>
<p>Some people affected by terrorism find telling their story can be harmful to their health and wellbeing. It locks them into a time and place of pain and suffering.</p>
<p>For others, telling their stories and of loved one’s experiences, lives and deaths is an important part of their healing processes.</p>
<p>Kev Paltridge lost his son Corey in the Bali bombings. He told me closure is “bullshit” and he still has “shit bad days”.</p>
<p>But he also said every time he tells his story, it helps him.</p>
<p>Kev doesn’t shy away from the darker side of his healing pathway – the three years of excessive drinking, his continued suffering and grief for Corey – because he knows there are some who were there who are still drinking and haven’t found an alternative pathway yet. </p>
<p>He hopes his story will help others as much as it helps him.</p>
<p>Journalist Nick Way was at the site of the Sari Club bombing hours after it occurred. He later worked as one of the producers on the documentary Cry Bali. During this process, working closely with survivors and their families, he told me “I learnt that very often, expressing feelings is part of the healing journey.” </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-site-of-the-bali-bombings-has-been-a-vacant-lot-for-16-years-its-time-to-build-a-proper-memorial-116725">The site of the Bali bombings has been a vacant lot for 16 years. It's time to build a proper memorial</a>
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<h2>Before and after</h2>
<p>When a terror attack occurs, the <a href="https://dartcenter.org/global/en/how-to-make-difference-for-survivors">media can create</a> a sense of a “victim” identity, which divides a person’s life into one before and after terror, as if they came into being at that moment.</p>
<p>Bali 2002 buys into this division. It gives scant time to our survivors before the event, and these characters feel shallow.</p>
<p>The series also struggles in finding the right balance between the stories of the terrorists and the survivors. Too much focus is given to the individuals who undertook these attacks. More important are the stories of the victims, survivors, family members and first responders.</p>
<p>For some survivors I have spoken to, the trailer alone has triggered traumatic responses. Their capacity to watch the series is doubtful. </p>
<p>The series weaves together a dramatisation of the events alongside real footage. This raw footage adds realism, but the use of this footage is not signposted, and it could be triggering even to survivors who might feel up to watching a dramatised version of events.</p>
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<h2>Endurance</h2>
<p>Bali 2002 is being released in advance of the 20th anniversary of the attacks.</p>
<p>In my research, I found recognising and remembering these events on fewer, more “significant” anniversaries we disavow the experience of living with terror after the experience of an event. </p>
<p>All the survivors I have spoken with endure every day. Kev told me he speaks to his son “every morning without fail”. </p>
<p>This endurance must be acknowledged and recognised. </p>
<p>The stories of their survival could have been stories of vengeance and hate and promoting more violence. </p>
<p>Instead, I have overwhelmingly found these stories are about hope and responsibility. </p>
<p>Nick told me he thinks “about building a new future for the people who feel oppressed and disadvantaged so that they might be [less] open to radicalisation”.</p>
<p>These are not saccharine stories about closure or forgiveness or forgetting. They are about living with and promoting an awareness of the effects that these attacks have upon everyday individual lives.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/remembering-the-bali-bombings-ten-years-on-10040">Remembering the Bali bombings ten years on</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Lasting impacts</h2>
<p>Every person I have talked with is still deeply affected by their experience.</p>
<p>Bali 2002 takes us from the weeks before the bombing to the 2005 death of the bomb maker, Husin. Viewers with little connection to the event will more than likely come away without an understanding of how survivors, their family members and first responders are still impacted two decades on. </p>
<p>A terrorism bombing is a moment where one is made powerless. They are subject to the will of the terrorist. It is so far outside the normal daily experiences it can cause a deep identity shift.</p>
<p>My research shows survivors of terrorism, their family members and first responders must find a way to fold the experience into their ongoing lives. </p>
<p>Sometimes they walk the tightrope gracefully and are well-balanced, at other times they can’t find their footing and are swaying dangerously over the abyss.</p>
<p>I hope some will find peace and healing in the airing of Bali 2002 and the sharing of these stories, but this won’t be true for all.</p>
<p><em>Bali 2002 is streaming on Stan from September 25.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-it-wrong-to-make-a-film-about-the-port-arthur-massacre-a-trauma-experts-perspective-151277">Is it wrong to make a film about the Port Arthur massacre? A trauma expert's perspective</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/189538/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Carmen Jacques would like to thank Kev Partridge, Nick Way, Gill Hicks and Andrew Wallace for their contributions to, and collaborations in, this research. </span></em></p>In my research into the Bali bombings and their aftermath, I have spoken to many people who were there or lost someone in the attack.Carmen Jacques, Research Officer, Edith Cowan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1892832022-09-02T12:18:04Z2022-09-02T12:18:04ZAs countries ranging from Indonesia to Mexico aim to attract digital nomads, locals say ‘not so fast’<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/481872/original/file-20220830-31761-o93l5h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=327%2C86%2C5423%2C3742&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A tourist has makeup done ahead of Day of the Dead on Oct. 30, 2021, in Mexico City.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/tourist-is-having-makeup-done-as-a-skull-in-a-costume-news-photo/1350360186?adppopup=true">Alfredo Martinez/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Should your community welcome <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/digital%20nomad">digital nomads</a> – individuals who work remotely, allowing them freedom to bounce from country to country?</p>
<p><a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/digital-nomads-9780190931780?cc=us&lang=en&">Our research</a> has found that workers are eager to embrace the flexibility of not being tied to an office. And after experiencing economic losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, cities and countries are concocting ways to entice visitors.</p>
<p>One idea involves stretching the meaning of tourism to include remote workers.</p>
<p>Today, a growing number of countries offer so-called “<a href="https://nomadgirl.co/countries-with-digital-nomad-visas/">digital nomad visas</a>.” These visas allow longer stays for remote workers and provide clarity about allowable work activities. For example, officials in Bali, Indonesia, are looking to formalize a process for remote workers to procure visas – “<a href="https://coconuts.co/bali/features/the-faster-the-better-bali-tourism-agency-head-tjokorda-bagus-pemayun-talks-digital-nomad-visa-plans-and-what-it-means-for-the-island/">the faster, the better</a>,” as the head of the island’s tourism agency put it.</p>
<p>Yet pushback from locals in cities ranging <a href="https://time.com/6072062/barcelona-tourism-residents-covid/">from Barcelona</a> to <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/07/28/mexico-city-residents-angered-by-influx-of-americans-speaking-english-gentrifying-area-report/">Mexico City</a> has made it clear that there are costs and benefits to an influx of remote workers. </p>
<p>As we explain in our new book, “Digital Nomads: In Search of Freedom, Community, and Meaningful Work in the New Economy,” the trend of “work tourism” <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/digital-nomads-9780190931780?cc=us&lang=en&">comes with a host of drawbacks</a>.</p>
<h2>Wearing out their welcome</h2>
<p>For as long as there’s been tourism, locals have griped about the outsiders who come and go. These travelers are usually a welcome boost to the economy – <a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/overtourism">up to a point</a>. They can also wear out their welcome. </p>
<p>Perhaps the classic example is <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-25/venice-reinventing-itself-as-sustainable-tourism-capital">Venice</a>, where high numbers of tourists stress the canal-filled city’s fragile infrastructure.</p>
<p>In the U.S., New Jersey shore residents have long used the term “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoobie">shoobies</a>” to denigrate the annual throng of short-term summer tourists. In our research on digital nomads in Bali, locals referred to digital nomads and other tourists as “bules” – a word that roughly translates as “foreigners.”</p>
<p>Generally the terms are used to express minor annoyance over crowds and increased traffic. But conventional tourists come and go – their stays usually range from a couple of nights to a couple of weeks. Remote workers stay anywhere from weeks to months – or longer. They spend more time using places and resources traditionally dedicated to the local residents. This raises the chances that outsiders become a grating presence. </p>
<p>Excessive numbers of visitors can also raise sustainability concerns, as waves of tourists tax the environment and infrastructure of many destinations. Many of Bali’s beautiful rice fields and surrounding lush forests, for example, are being converted into hotels and villas to serve tourism.</p>
<h2>Digital nomads look to stretch their dollars</h2>
<p>Whether they’re lazing around or plugging away on their laptops, privileged tourists ultimately change the economics and demographics of an area. </p>
<p>Their buying power increases costs and displaces residents, while traditional businesses make way for ones that cater to their tastes. <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-food-became-the-perfect-beachhead-for-gentrification-167761">Where once there was a neighborhood food stand</a>, now there’s an upscale cafe. </p>
<p>This dynamic is only exacerbated by long-term tourists. Services like VRBO and Airbnb make it easy for digital nomads to rent apartments for weeks or months at a time, and <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-45083954">people around the world are increasingly alarmed</a> at how quickly such rentals can change the affordability and character of a place.</p>
<p>Living a vacation lifestyle on a long-term basis implies a need to choose lower-cost destinations. This means that remote workers may particularly contribute to gentrification as they seek out places where their dollars go furthest.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://travelnoire.com/digital-nomads-see-why-mexicans-are-fed-up-with-them">Mexico City</a>, residents fear displacement by remote workers able to pay higher rents. In response to calls to choose Mexico City as a remote working destination, one local succinctly expressed opposition: “<a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22999722/mexico-city-pandemic-remote-work-gentrification">Please don’t</a>.”</p>
<p>And in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/mar/13/new-orleans-airbnb-treme-short-term-rentals">New Orleans</a>, almost half of all properties in the historic <a href="https://nola.curbed.com/2018/5/16/17356630/treme-new-orleans-neighborhood-history-pictures">Tremé district</a> – one of the oldest Black neighborhoods in the U.S. – have been converted to short-term rentals, displacing longtime residents. </p>
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<img alt="Locals wearing purple march through the streets playing instruments." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/481877/original/file-20220830-35381-cosh9f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/481877/original/file-20220830-35381-cosh9f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481877/original/file-20220830-35381-cosh9f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481877/original/file-20220830-35381-cosh9f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481877/original/file-20220830-35381-cosh9f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481877/original/file-20220830-35381-cosh9f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481877/original/file-20220830-35381-cosh9f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">In Tremé, New Orleans, nearly half of all dwellings have become short-term rental properties.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/crowd-estimated-at-between-1500-and-2000-people-celebrates-news-photo/525178984?adppopup=true">Leon Morris/Redferns via Getty Images</a></span>
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<h2>Culture becomes commodified</h2>
<p><a href="https://suitcasemag.com/articles/neocolonial-tourism">Neocolonialism</a> in tourism refers to the way processes such as overtourism and gentrification create a power imbalance that favors newcomers and erodes local ways of life. </p>
<p>“There’s a distinction between people who want to learn about the place they are in and those who just like it because it’s cheap,” one digital nomad living in Mexico City <a href="https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-07-27/americans-are-flooding-mexico-city-some-mexicans-want-them-to-go-home">recently told the Los Angeles Times</a>. “I’ve met a number of people who don’t really care that they’re in Mexico, they just care that it’s cheap.”</p>
<p>Bali, where <a href="https://www.aseantoday.com/2020/10/balis-economy-struggles-to-survive-without-tourists/">as much as 80%</a> of the island’s economy is estimated to be affected by tourism, offers a stark example. </p>
<p>People come to Bali to be immersed in the culture’s spiritual rituals, art, nature and dance. But there’s also resentment over yoga lovers, resortgoers and digital nomads “taking over” the island. And some locals come to see the tourism in and around temples and rituals as the transformation of something cherished – the nuanced and spiritual aspects of their culture – into experiences to be bought and sold. </p>
<p>For instance, Balinese dance performances are huge tourist draws and are even featured in global promotions for tourism on the island. Yet these performances also have cultural and spiritual meaning, and the impact of tourism on these aspects of dance is <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/37628994_Authenticity_and_commodification_of_Balinese_dance_performances">debated even among performers</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People take photographs of people marching in a parade." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/481874/original/file-20220830-22-4l4ult.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/481874/original/file-20220830-22-4l4ult.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481874/original/file-20220830-22-4l4ult.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481874/original/file-20220830-22-4l4ult.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481874/original/file-20220830-22-4l4ult.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481874/original/file-20220830-22-4l4ult.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/481874/original/file-20220830-22-4l4ult.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Tourists take pictures of Balinese artists during a parade celebrating the 77th anniversary of Indonesia Independence Day in Bali in August 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/foreign-tourists-take-pictures-of-balinese-artists-during-news-photo/1242552941?adppopup=true">Johannes P. Christo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>So there is inevitably friction, which can be seen in the high levels of <a href="https://coconuts.co/bali/features/living-in-a-petty-crimes-paradise-balis-unreported-thefts-and-muggings/">petty crime</a> against foreigners. Neocolonialism can also pit people from the same country or culture against one another. For example, <a href="https://www.travelmole.com/news/bali-taxi-wars-flare-again/">conflicts arise</a> between local Balinese taxi cooperatives and taxi services that employ drivers from other parts of Indonesia. </p>
<p>Although remote employees still make up a small portion of the overall tourist population, their work-related needs and longer stays mean they’re more likely to use services and places frequented by locals.</p>
<p>Whether this leads digital nomads to be welcomed or scorned likely depends on both government policies and tourists’ behavior. </p>
<p>Will governments take measures such as protecting locals from mass evictions, or will landlords’ desire for higher rents prevail? Will guests live lightly and blend in, trying to learn the local language and culture? Or will they simply focus on working hard and playing harder? </p>
<p>As remote work reaches an unprecedented scale, the answers to such questions may determine whether “<a href="https://coconuts.co/bali/features/the-faster-the-better-bali-tourism-agency-head-tjokorda-bagus-pemayun-talks-digital-nomad-visa-plans-and-what-it-means-for-the-island/">the faster, the better</a>” attitude toward digital nomad visas and other incentives continues.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/189283/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Locals usually see tourists as a way to boost the economy. But at a certain point, resentment starts to build.Rachael A. Woldoff, Professor of Sociology, West Virginia UniversityRobert Litchfield, Associate Professor of Business, Washington & Jefferson CollegeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1828502022-05-26T23:59:45Z2022-05-26T23:59:45ZPlanning a holiday? What’s the COVID situation in Bali, Fiji, NZ and the UK?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463250/original/file-20220516-19-z8marc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C8%2C5751%2C3819&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many of us are considering a long-delayed overseas trip. However, despite what our politicians are telling us, the pandemic is not over yet, and there is always the risk you could catch COVID on holiday or just before you depart. </p>
<p>So, here are a few general tips about what you should do to maximise the chance of a safe and enjoyable holiday, and a quick look at the COVID situation in four popular holiday destinations.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/want-to-cut-your-chance-of-catching-covid-on-a-plane-wear-a-mask-and-avoid-business-class-180333">Want to cut your chance of catching COVID on a plane? Wear a mask and avoid business class</a>
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<h2>Vaccination status</h2>
<p>First and foremost, make sure you are fully vaccinated – that’s three doses for most people, and four for the over-65s and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-25/federal-government-expands-covid-fourth-dose-eligibility/101098304">some vulnerable groups</a>. Two doses are better than nothing, but not good enough against the Omicron variant.</p>
<h2>Health insurance</h2>
<p>Several <a href="https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/CHOICE-travel-insurance-guide-COVID-19#:%7E:text=Travel%20insurance%20that%20covers%20cancellation,of%20the%20trip%20with%20you.">insurance companies</a> will cover you against a COVID infection just before you are due to travel, or while you are travelling. Travel insurance is not only advised, it is mandatory in countries such as <a href="https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/pacific/fiji">Fiji</a> and <a href="https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/indonesia">Indonesia</a>.</p>
<h2>On the plane</h2>
<p>Planes are <a href="https://theconversation.com/want-to-cut-your-chance-of-catching-covid-on-a-plane-wear-a-mask-and-avoid-business-class-180333">quite safe</a> since the air gets filtered through HEPA filters. However, you could be very unlucky and have someone sitting close to you who is infectious. So, the best bet is to wear a face mask when not eating and drinking.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463251/original/file-20220516-20-9r1id5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Plane with people in PPE" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463251/original/file-20220516-20-9r1id5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463251/original/file-20220516-20-9r1id5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463251/original/file-20220516-20-9r1id5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463251/original/file-20220516-20-9r1id5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463251/original/file-20220516-20-9r1id5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463251/original/file-20220516-20-9r1id5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463251/original/file-20220516-20-9r1id5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Planes are fairly safe environments due to the HEPA filters.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>Take alcohol wipes with you and give your tray, seat belt, controller for the entertainment and inside of seat pockets a good wipe down.</p>
<p>When thinking about your destination and the COVID cases there, it’s also important to compare this to the situation in Australia. </p>
<p>Australia’s <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus/country/australia">current cases</a> (seven-day moving average, per million of population) are 1,684 per day, and deaths (seven-day moving average, per <em>ten</em> million of population) are 19.8 per day. Some <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations?country=AUS%7EFJI%7EIDN%7ENZL%7EGBR">84%</a> of the Australian population have completed the initial vaccination schedule. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-yellow-international-arrival-cards-are-getting-a-covid-era-digital-makeover-here-are-5-key-questions-167898">Australia's yellow international arrival cards are getting a COVID-era digital makeover. Here are 5 key questions</a>
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<h2>Fiji</h2>
<p>In terms of how much COVID is around, Fiji is doing quite well. Average daily case numbers are <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus/country/fiji">13.6</a> per million, tiny compared with the Australian rate. The daily death rate per ten million population is zero. </p>
<p>Current <a href="https://covid19.trackvaccines.org/trials-vaccines-by-country/">vaccines available</a> are AstraZeneca and Moderna, and <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations?country=AUS%7EFJI%7EIDN%7ENZL%7EGBR">70%</a> of Fijians have completed the initial vaccination schedule. There appear to be few current public health <a href="https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/pacific/fiji">regulations</a>. Face masks are optional, and social distancing requirements aren’t being enforced. </p>
<p>Given the very low case numbers at the moment, I don’t think this is a major issue. But if you are older or at risk because of health problems, I would still wear a face mask indoors. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.countryreports.org/country/Fiji/health.htm">Health care</a> in Fiji is not up to Australian standards, especially in government-run hospitals. Private hospitals are better, but if you get seriously ill, you’d be better off being medivaced to Australia or New Zealand. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463252/original/file-20220516-22-smtegj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Woman on bridge in rainforest" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463252/original/file-20220516-22-smtegj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463252/original/file-20220516-22-smtegj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463252/original/file-20220516-22-smtegj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463252/original/file-20220516-22-smtegj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463252/original/file-20220516-22-smtegj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463252/original/file-20220516-22-smtegj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/463252/original/file-20220516-22-smtegj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Case numbers in Fiji are quite low.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<h2>Bali</h2>
<p>Indonesia is also doing quite well with <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus/country/indonesia">daily cases</a> at 0.98 per million and a death rate of 0.3 per ten million population. However, these data might be <a href="https://theconversation.com/three-reasons-why-covid-19-data-in-indonesia-are-unreliable-and-how-to-fix-them-157056">under-reported</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://covid19.trackvaccines.org/trials-vaccines-by-country/">Current vaccines available</a> are Zifivax, Covovax, Moderna, Pfizer, Convidecia, Sputnik V, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, KCONVAC, Covilo, and CoronaVac. Covovax is from India, Sputnik V from Russia, and the remaining ones you may not have heard of are from China. There have been some queries about the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02796-w">effectiveness</a> of some Chinese vaccines. </p>
<p>Some <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations?country=AUS%7EFJI%7EIDN%7ENZL%7EGBR">60%</a> of Indonesians have completed the initial vaccination schedule, however, this is likely to be higher in Bali.</p>
<p>Wearing a face mask indoors (for example, in shops) <a href="https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/indonesia">is mandatory</a>, and some social distancing and mandatory QR code scanning are in force. Face masks are not required while sitting in a restaurant.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-covid-19-means-the-era-of-ever-cheaper-air-travel-could-be-over-172149">Why COVID-19 means the era of ever cheaper air travel could be over</a>
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<p>Like Fiji, <a href="https://www.countryreports.org/country/Indonesia/health.htm">hospitals</a> in Bali are generally not up to Western standards, although private ones are better than public hospitals. If you get seriously ill, getting medivaced to Australia is probably the best way to go. </p>
<h2>New Zealand</h2>
<p>Across the ditch, the COVID situation is similar to Australia, with <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/new-zealand">1,399</a> cases per day per million population, and 23.4 deaths per ten million population. </p>
<p><a href="https://covid19.trackvaccines.org/trials-vaccines-by-country/">Vaccines authorised</a> are AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax. The <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations?country=AUS%7EFJI%7EIDN%7ENZL%7EGBR">rate of vaccination</a> is also very similar to Australia with 80% having completed the initial vaccination schedule. </p>
<p>New Zealand is a bit more <a href="https://covid19.govt.nz/prepare-and-stay-safe/keep-up-healthy-habits/wear-a-face-mask/">sensible</a> than Australia, retaining face mask mandates in retail settings and public spaces such as museums. </p>
<p>The New Zealand health-care system is not <a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/best-healthcare-in-the-world">quite</a> up to Australia’s level, but good enough that you don’t have to worry if you have to be hospitalised. The good news is Australia has a reciprocal <a href="https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/reciprocal-health-care-agreement-visiting-new-zealand?context=22481">arrangement</a> with New Zealand so there are no costs if you are admitted to a public hospital. </p>
<h2>The United Kingdom</h2>
<p>All public health measures have been removed in the UK. </p>
<p>Reported case numbers are not as dire as Australia and New Zealand, with average daily case numbers at <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus/country/united-kingdom">120 per million</a> population. However, COVID tests are no longer free for most people. While people can buy their own rapid antigen tests, these <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/health-51943612">can’t be logged</a> on the government website. Only those with underlying health conditions can get a free test and must report the results. This means the reported case numbers are likely a big underestimate. This would, in part, explain the UK’s current daily death rate of 12.4 per ten million population. </p>
<p>Interestingly, just about everyone in the UK has <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/articles/coronaviruscovid19latestinsights/antibodies">antibodies</a> against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID. Some <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations?country=AUS%7EFJI%7EIDN%7ENZL%7EGBR">73% of the UK population</a> has completed the initial vaccination schedule, considerably lower than Australia. </p>
<p>In terms of quality, the UK health system is <a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/best-healthcare-in-the-world">somewhere between</a> Australia and New Zealand. Like New Zealand, Australia has a <a href="https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/reciprocal-health-care-agreement-visiting-united-kingdom?context=22481">reciprocal</a> health-care arrangement with free treatment in UK public hospitals.</p>
<h2>In a nutshell</h2>
<p>While Bali and Fiji don’t have much COVID around, their health systems are not as good if you are unlucky enough to get very sick. You’ll be more likely to catch COVID in the UK or New Zealand, but they have good health services if you do.</p>
<p>As for me, I’m masking up and staying in Australia for the next few months!</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/182850/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adrian Esterman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Knowing whether it’s safe to travel is harder in the age of COVID. This travel guide may help.Adrian Esterman, Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of South AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1668122021-09-13T05:01:29Z2021-09-13T05:01:29ZAs the Balinese respond to the collapse of tourism, ritual is important — and dangerous<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/420649/original/file-20210912-17-ms57ve.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C115%2C3489%2C2211&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Johanes Christo/NurPhoto via Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The arrival of the Delta variant in Indonesia has plunged Bali, one of the country’s richest provinces, into an economic crisis and a conflict between beliefs and public health measures.</p>
<p>Mask wearing is now mandatory and a <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57647693">partial lockdown</a> is in place. But many Balinese see the virus as something caused by forces we cannot apprehend and require ritual to appease.</p>
<p>The English word supernatural does not do justice to the depth of this understanding of causation. The Balinese word niskala refers to another level of reality which underlies the everyday reality known as sekala. </p>
<p>The solution therefore lies (at least partially) in ritual, but Balinese ritual is inherently collective – hundreds or thousands of people making offerings and praying together – especially to address a problem on this scale. While this makes sense in niskala terms, in the sekala world of public health it is dangerous. </p>
<p>Last month, the official organisation of Balinese Hinduism (Parisada Hindu Dharma) and the council of customary villages (Majelis Desa Adat) issued a joint statement urging people to restrict the scale of essential ritual observances and the number of people attending. The military and police would be “supporting” the request.</p>
<h2>Collapse of tourism sector</h2>
<p>Bali hotels and restaurants are all but empty and employees have been laid off or put on minimal salaries. The tiny street-side businesses selling cheap trinkets for tourists have either disappeared or moved into survival mode by selling cheap food for locals. </p>
<p>The secondary layer of industries that once served the now collapsed tourism sector, including building and agriculture, have likewise lost most of their incomes. Official estimates (probably underestimates) are of 100,000 jobs lost. </p>
<p>A complicating factor is that for most people the main concern still appears to be the economic impact — and getting tourism flowing again. This is obviously desirable in the short term, but does not address the longer-term risks of an economy based almost entirely on a single sector. </p>
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<img alt="Domestic visitors arriving in Bali." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/420656/original/file-20210912-15-1mbncv6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/420656/original/file-20210912-15-1mbncv6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/420656/original/file-20210912-15-1mbncv6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/420656/original/file-20210912-15-1mbncv6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/420656/original/file-20210912-15-1mbncv6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/420656/original/file-20210912-15-1mbncv6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/420656/original/file-20210912-15-1mbncv6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Although Bali reopened to domestic tourism, visitor numbers have dropped.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Johanes Christo/NurPhoto via Getty Images</span></span>
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<p>Since March 2020, international tourist arrivals fell from around 15,000 per week to a handful. The drop in domestic figures was only slightly less dramatic. Between 2019 and 2020, the number of international visitors dropped by 79%, and by 66% for domestic travellers. </p>
<p>The overall economic impact was from more than 5% annual growth to more than 10% contraction. </p>
<iframe title="Changes in tourist arrivals in Bali" aria-label="Grouped Column Chart" id="datawrapper-chart-OrIxR" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/OrIxR/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border: none;" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Low <a href="https://theconversation.com/three-reasons-why-covid-19-data-in-indonesia-are-unreliable-and-how-to-fix-them-157056">levels of testing and systemic under-reporting</a> have long obscured real numbers in Indonesia. But when the Delta variant arrived in July, Indonesia became one of the new frontlines — described by some as the next India. </p>
<p>The government had previously tried to minimise the perception of risk and prioritised the economy over public health, but it was finally forced to accept reality and impose (relatively modest) restrictions.</p>
<p>Bali especially had relatively <a href="https://asiatimes.com/2020/04/balis-mysterious-immunity-to-covid-19/">low numbers of infections</a>, even allowing for under-reporting. The main impact was the economic distress caused by the sudden and prolonged collapse in tourism. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-bali-could-build-a-better-kind-of-tourism-after-the-pandemic-140030">How Bali could build a better kind of tourism after the pandemic</a>
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<p>Many people had to return to their villages to survive off an already strained subsistence economy. This is a time-honoured safety net whenever tourism has one of its periodic crises and it works — for a while.</p>
<p>But now, many people have been without incomes for well over a year. Support from family, friends or charities is not sustainable indefinitely. People with unpaid debts (usually for motor vehicles or investment in tourism businesses) are in especially difficult situations as interest rates are high and many are selling off assets cheaply to repay loans. </p>
<h2>Bali as digital island hub</h2>
<p>While there have been some success stories of people rediscovering agriculture, they are exceptions. Most people are waiting and praying for tourism to resume. </p>
<p>The government has been praying too, by sponsoring major rituals in temples of island-wide significance, ostensibly for protection from the pandemic, but also, as the deputy governor put it, for Bali to get “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIyT8qPgQrU">back to normal</a>”. </p>
<p>But it also has more pragmatic plans. Vaccination is a priority, with official figures claiming “100% coverage” with first vaccination and about 36% second vaccination. </p>
<p>Early in 2021, the Indonesian government initiated a plan for 25% of the staff of seven ministries to return to Bali and work remotely from there. There is also a plan for a new five-year visa to attract digital nomads, many of whom have been operating less than legally. </p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/five-ways-to-turn-bali-into-a-zoom-island-for-global-remote-workers-163266">Five ways to turn Bali into a 'Zoom island' for global remote workers</a>
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<p>Another key element is an accreditation program for hospitality businesses and tourism attractions to send a message that Bali is ready to welcome tourists, but with strict health protocols.</p>
<p>Until recently, the island remained open to domestic arrivals, but from Java this carries a high risk of infection. There have been plans for re-opening the island to international tourism, but each has been postponed because of new developments. </p>
<p>Since the partial lockdown in July, a further 3,500 hotel employees have been laid off and hotels and restaurants (at least 48 at last count) are now for sale. Hospitals on the island have been overwhelmed, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/24/indonesias-bali-running-out-of-oxygen-as-government-ponders-curb">oxygen supplies are low</a> and many expatriates who had ridden out the first wave are now trying to leave. </p>
<p>These risks of relying on tourism have been made glaringly obvious by a series of disruptions over the past decades, beginning with the 9/11 attack in US and including <a href="https://theconversation.com/tourists-are-stuck-at-the-airport-but-erupting-mt-agung-has-a-deeper-significance-for-the-balinese-88297">volcanic eruptions</a> and less dramatic epidemics. </p>
<p>The government may finally be persuaded to act on strong advice from the Bank of Indonesia to reduce the dependence on tourism by developing “other sectors such as agriculture, creative economy, digital economy and education”. Such solutions may appear obvious, but are easier said than done.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/166812/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Graeme MacRae received funding from an ARC Discovery grant from 2017 to 2019. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>I Nyoman Darma Putra does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Many Balinese believe COVID-19 cannot be fought with health measures alone, and requires ritual offerings and prayer. But collective ritual places people at more risk.Graeme MacRae, Senior Lecturer in Social Anthropology, Massey UniversityI Nyoman Darma Putra, Lecturer at Faculty of Humanitiies, Udayana University, Bali, Universitas UdayanaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1632662021-07-30T08:46:28Z2021-07-30T08:46:28ZFive ways to turn Bali into a ‘Zoom island’ for global remote workers<p>The Indonesian government recently announced plans to send <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/02a6e371-6681-4f00-aacb-1a9a975641d5">8,000 Jakarta-based civil servants</a> to work remotely in Bali to help the tourism-dependent economy rebound from the pandemic. </p>
<p>If the government succeeds in fully vaccinating Bali residents, the idea makes a certain amount of sense. </p>
<p>Hotels and restaurants are struggling to survive. According to <a href="https://www.bps.go.id/indicator/16/122/1/tingkat-penghunian-kamar-pada-hotel-bintang.html">Statistics Indonesia</a>, hotel occupancy rates averaged 10% during the first four months of 2021 – less than one-third of the national average. Between January and May this year, <a href="https://www.bps.go.id/indicator/16/1150/1/jumlah-kunjungan-wisatawan-mancanegara-per-bulan-ke-indonesia-menurut-pintu-masuk-2017---sekarang.html">direct foreign arrivals</a> totalled 34 persons into Bali compared to 2.3 million in in the same period in 2019.
<a href="https://www.bps.go.id/indicator/17/66/1/jumlah-penumpang-pesawat-di-bandara-utama.html">Domestic arrivals</a> dropped to 570,000 from 1.8 million in 2019.</p>
<p>Besides sending civil servants with laptops to paradise, the Indonesian government should consider opening its plan to the world by turning Bali into a “Zoom island”. </p>
<h2>Taking advantage of global remote working trend</h2>
<p>More than a year living with the pandemic has changed the way we think about work. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-pandemic-changed-us-our-fastest-rising-priority-job-george-anders/">LinkedIn Workforce Confidence survey</a> found about half (50%) of respondents say flexibility of hours or locations has become more important to them.</p>
<p>Companies are starting to adapt to this new reality. Big tech companies like <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56759151">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://sea.mashable.com/tech/10528/twitter-is-allowing-all-4900-employees-worldwide-to-work-from-home-forever">Twitter</a> have made remote work long-term.</p>
<p>Under this remote working trend caused by COVID-19, “Zoom towns” are popping up. </p>
<p>Zoom towns in the United States are a COVID-19 phenomenon where regional centres experience an increase in remote workers using web conferencing tools like Zoom. </p>
<p>Some are taking advantage of this phenomenon, including Bali. Bali has the facilities and is well-positioned to take advantage of the changing world of work. It is already a popular destination for a tribe of digital nomads – those whose jobs are not location-bound. </p>
<p>In 2019, Bali had almost 5,000 digital nomads, the <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1103499/southeast-asia-number-of-digital-nomads-by-city/">highest number in Southeast Asia</a>. Other regions such as Yogyakarta are also expressing interest in capturing part of this digital nomad market. </p>
<p>Even some of the world’s <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/bali-20160620-gpn6u3.html">biggest music hitmakers</a> – like M-Phazes (Eminem, Kimbra), Delta Goodrem, Guy Sebastian and Los Angeles songwriter Trey Campbell (Dua Lipa, Bebe Rexha) – spend time in Bali recording an album or a number 1 single. </p>
<h2>Five recommendations</h2>
<p>To lure global remote workers to Bali, we recommend five ideas Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy might adopt.</p>
<p><strong>First, aim for a fully vaccinated island.</strong></p>
<p>The COVID-19 vaccine roll-out is under way. </p>
<p>By July, about 2.8 million Bali residents aged 18 or older – over 60% of the island’s population – will be vaccinated.</p>
<p>This is all the more critical given Indonesia <a href="https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/countries-and-territories/indonesia/">is currently enduring its sharpest increases in infection to date</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Second, expand internet connectivity across the island.</strong> </p>
<p>Speed, capacity and reliability of internet connectivity are central to work performance. </p>
<p>According to marketing company <a href="https://www.cnnindonesia.com/teknologi/20210225085756-185-610623/internet-thailand-paling-cepat-indonesia-kalah-dari-malaysia">We Are Social</a>, Indonesia’s internet cable speed is 23.32 Mbps, well below the global average of 96.43 Mbps. </p>
<p>Its average mobile internet speed is 17.26 Mbps, below the global average of 42.70 Mbps. </p>
<p>In comparison, Thailand’s internet cable speed is 308.35 Mbps and its average mobile speed is 51.75 Mbps.</p>
<p><strong>Third, allow longer-term visas without the 30 days renewal.</strong> </p>
<p>Flying in and out of Indonesia every 30 days to renew a tourist visa is extremely disruptive and expensive. </p>
<p>Remote workers and their employers will have little interest in bearing the cost of having to fly in and out of the country every month due to visa restrictions. It also reduces daily spending by these people in the Indonesia economy. </p>
<p>In October 2020, the Indonesian government introduced <a href="https://www.imigrasi.go.id/uploads/covid/regulasi/13-06-09-Permenkumham_No_26_Tahun_2020.pdf">a new policy</a> to allow retirees to reside in the country as part of a new category of temporary resident (KITAS holder). This policy should be extended to remote workers. </p>
<p>Indonesia does have a detailed system for permitting expatriate workers on the basis of corporate sponsorship. Self-sponsored visitors such as digital nomads fall beyond those bounds and therefore rely on tourist-type visas that are not really fit for purpose.</p>
<p><strong>Fourth, introduce incentives and specialised services.</strong> </p>
<p>In the United States, regional areas like Northwest Arkansas and Tucson, Arizona, are investing to attract remote workers from other US cities and the world. </p>
<p>Last November, Northwest Arkansas launched a US$1.5 million initiative, “<a href="https://findingnwa.com/incentive/">Life Works Here</a>”, to attract workers. It drew 26,000 applicants from 50 states and 115 countries. </p>
<p>Northwest Arkansas offers successful applicants $10,000 and a free bike if they relocate for a minimum of one year. </p>
<p>Tucson Arizona launched a similar program, “<a href="https://www.startuptucson.com/remotetucson">Remote Tuscon</a>”. It offers a US$7,500 incentive, including moving money, a year of internet, a workspace and an ambassador to help them settle in.</p>
<p>Even Finland, a dark, cold and windy place, yet the <a href="https://worldhappiness.report/blog/its-a-three-peat-finland-keeps-top-spot-as-happiest-country-in-world/">happiest country</a> in the world, has a <a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210121-finlands-radical-plan-to-lure-global-talent">radical plan</a> to attract global professionals. </p>
<p><strong>Fifth, target millennials in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts and maths (STEAM).</strong> </p>
<p>Another important trend in human resources is the talent revolution that is under way.</p>
<p>The competition for skilled workers will intensify. </p>
<p>Younger, skilled workers, especially in STEAM fields, will demand more work flexibility. </p>
<p>An EY survey on <a href="https://www.ey.com/en_au/news/2021/05/more-than-half-of-employees-globally-would-quit-their-jobs-if-not-provided-post-pandemic-flexibility-ey-survey-finds">flexibility and work</a> found more than half (54%) of employees globally would quit their jobs if not provided post-pandemic flexibility. Nine in 10 respondents want flexibility in where and when they work, with millennials twice as likely to quit as baby boomers. In a tightening market for skilled workers, no company will want to lose its best talent. </p>
<p>The first 10 finalists for the Remote Tucson initiative – who hold jobs at companies including Apple, Pfizer, Facebook and LinkedIn – are arriving now, with up to 25 more expected in a second round later this year.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/163266/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kevin Evans terafiliasi dengan Australia Indonesia Centre, the Partnership for Governance Reform in Indonesia</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Eugene Sebastian dan Helen Fletcher-Kennedy tidak bekerja, menjadi konsultan, memiliki saham, atau menerima dana dari perusahaan atau organisasi mana pun yang akan mengambil untung dari artikel ini, dan telah mengungkapkan bahwa ia tidak memiliki afiliasi selain yang telah disebut di atas.</span></em></p>The Indonesian government should consider opening its plan to the world by turning Bali into a “Zoom island”.Eugene Sebastian, Executive Director, Australia-Indonesia Centre, Monash UniversityHelen Fletcher-Kennedy, Chief Operating Officer, The Australia-Indonesia Centre, Monash UniversityKevin Evans, Indonesia Director, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1489902021-01-20T11:36:39Z2021-01-20T11:36:39ZThe Indigenous people of Urat village in Lake Toba have been left out of rural tourism development<p>In 2017, Indonesia announced an ambitious plan to attract 20 million international tourists by 2019 by developing ten new tourist destinations, dubbing them “<a href="https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/02/11/indonesia-lures-australia-to-invest-in-10-new-bali-tourist-destinations.html">the 10 New Balis</a>”. </p>
<p>One of the destinations is the scenic Urat village, a small village in the middle of Samosir Island in Lake Toba, North Sumatra. </p>
<p>To get there, one must take an hour and half hour trip by plane from the capital, Jakarta, to Medan or Silangit airports in North Sumatra province, then travel 30-45 minutes by boat to Samosir island, followed by a four hour drive. This <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09669589409510679?journalCode=rsus20">rural tourism</a> destination offers nature, culture, and adventure as its tourism attractions.</p>
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Baca juga:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/traditional-knowledge-helps-indigenous-people-adapt-to-climate-crisis-research-shows-139974">Traditional knowledge helps Indigenous people adapt to climate crisis, research shows</a>
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<p>In this <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1447677018300792">research</a>, we studied the relationship dynamics between indigenous peoples, government (policymakers), and local vendors in the process of developing Urat as the main rural tourism destination within North Sumatra. </p>
<p>We found the indigenous Batak people felt that they are being left out of the process of rural tourism development. </p>
<p>Rural tourism development <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0160738311000648">encourages</a> local entrepreneurs to increase trade, which helps in achieving income equality.</p>
<p>The indigenous Batak people in Urat, who mostly have low education levels and work as farmers or construction workers, lack access to the information and funding that would boost their capacity to benefit from the tourism trade.</p>
<h2>The Urat Village</h2>
<p>Urat is one of the home to the Bataknese (locally known as <em>Batak</em>), the <a href="https://www.bps.go.id/publication/2012/05/23/55eca38b7fe0830834605b35/kewarganegaraan-suku-bangsa-agama-dan-bahasa-sehari-hari-penduduk-indonesia.html">third-largest</a> ethnic group in Indonesia (<a href="https://www.bps.go.id/publication/2012/05/23/55eca38b7fe0830834605b35/kewarganegaraan-suku-bangsa-agama-dan-bahasa-sehari-hari-penduduk-indonesia.html">8.5 million people</a>), after Javanese and Sundanese. </p>
<p>Some 2,000 Bataknese out of 100,000 Bataknese in Samosir Island live in Urat. </p>
<p>We chose Urat for our research as it has received priority from the (local) government as one of the villages in <a href="https://bangda.kemendagri.go.id/berita/baca_kontent/1465/danau_toba_menjadi_salah_satu_wisata_super_prioritas_">Lake Toba</a> to guide other villages in the development program. </p>
<p>It also shares characteristics with other targeted villages among the ten new destinations, such as: limited infrastructure (public roads, public sanitation), similar social-demographic situations (social status, population), insufficient access to education (limited numbers of schools and teachers), and poor social welfare.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A boat in the middle of a lake with two men onboard." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378190/original/file-20210112-17-1vx3pxo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378190/original/file-20210112-17-1vx3pxo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378190/original/file-20210112-17-1vx3pxo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378190/original/file-20210112-17-1vx3pxo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378190/original/file-20210112-17-1vx3pxo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378190/original/file-20210112-17-1vx3pxo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378190/original/file-20210112-17-1vx3pxo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Our team travelled by boat to study rural tourism development in Urat Village in Samosir Island, North Sumatra province.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ringkar Situmorang</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The role of policymakers, indigenous people, and local vendors</h2>
<p>In 2017, we conducted a focus group discussion attended by dozens of villagers from various background. </p>
<p>We invited teachers, public servants, construction workers, and farmers to discuss entrepreneurial opportunities in Urat, such as opening home-stays, small coffee shops, souvenir shops, and transportation services. </p>
<p>We also interviewed the head of the village, the Lake Toba Tourism Authority director, and academics. </p>
<p>Based on the focus group and interviews, indigenous people want to try to open small businesses and take advantage of the tourism sector in their village, but they feel unable to compete with non-Indigenous local vendors who are more educated, skilled and have better access to finance and products. </p>
<p>The non-Indigenous vendors mostly come from major cities, such as Medan, Pematang Siantar, and Padang, but have lived as permanent residents in the village.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Traditional houses" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378191/original/file-20210112-15-13h5hce.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378191/original/file-20210112-15-13h5hce.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378191/original/file-20210112-15-13h5hce.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378191/original/file-20210112-15-13h5hce.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378191/original/file-20210112-15-13h5hce.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378191/original/file-20210112-15-13h5hce.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378191/original/file-20210112-15-13h5hce.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Houses in Urat village.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ringkar Situmorang</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Due to lack of skills and capital, the Indigenous people feel discouraged to start businesses in their communities. Unable to compete with local vendors, they feel disappointed by the influx of income to local vendors from tourists visiting their ancestral land. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378993/original/file-20210115-23-wxjxho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/378993/original/file-20210115-23-wxjxho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378993/original/file-20210115-23-wxjxho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378993/original/file-20210115-23-wxjxho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378993/original/file-20210115-23-wxjxho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378993/original/file-20210115-23-wxjxho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/378993/original/file-20210115-23-wxjxho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>They also feel left out of counselling and training given by the local government to open a start-up business, run a small diner, or keep the public sanitation area clean. </p>
<p>Because most indigenous peoples are farmers and construction workers, they would often skip the meetings due to work obligations. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, non-Indigenous local vendors who already have better access and network than the Indigenous people get to benefit from the training.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/379406/original/file-20210119-23-3uli3g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/379406/original/file-20210119-23-3uli3g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/379406/original/file-20210119-23-3uli3g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/379406/original/file-20210119-23-3uli3g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/379406/original/file-20210119-23-3uli3g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/379406/original/file-20210119-23-3uli3g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/379406/original/file-20210119-23-3uli3g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Indigenous people hope governments make a conscious effort to help them participate in the tourism sector, including directly allocating village funds to provide them with capital and training to start and run tourism-related businesses.</p>
<h2>How to make it work</h2>
<p>Indigenous people in Urat are disadvantaged compared to non-Indigenous local vendors who understand more about “how to do business” and tend to have a better education than indigenous people. </p>
<p>Hence, they feel that the government should prioritise them to receive support in “the 10 New Balis” program so they too can benefit from the development of tourism in their village. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Baca juga:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/can-virtual-tourism-save-local-businesses-in-tourist-destinations-149537">Can virtual tourism save local businesses in tourist destinations?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The government should not neglect indigenous people in the development of rural tourism. Without the government’s support, indigenous people would only watch how tourists and outsiders enjoy the beauty of their scenic village, while the benefits elude them.</p>
<p>The government should <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJEBR-10-2014-0189/full/html">involve indigenous people</a> in community development programs. Currently, indigenous people are included only on certain occasions such as village meetings. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Baca juga:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/study-shows-village-forests-in-indonesia-can-protect-the-environment-and-reduce-poverty-128393">Study shows Village Forests in Indonesia can protect the environment and reduce poverty</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>For the government to ensure inclusive development, we strongly recommend the government to improve the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13683500.2017.1358701">education</a> of indigenous people through providing qualified teachers, structured vocational and academic educational programs as well as <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/TR-09-2015-0042/full/html">infrastructure</a>, such as schools, public roads, accommodations and restaurants. </p>
<p>The government should also set up an equity program to encourage creativity and success of indigenous people in entrepreneurship. </p>
<p>This could enable indigenous people to create products that will attract international and domestic tourists. Funding could come from the village budget. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, the government should simplify communications about their programs so indigenous people can understand it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/148990/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ringkar Situmorang is supported by the School of Business and Economics, Universitas Prasetiya Mulya, with grant ID (0/3/1233/07/17/11/02/0/0) to do this project. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Arnold Japutra is affiliated with Australia-Indonesia Centre. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Teddy Trilaksono is supported by the School of Business and Economics, Universitas Prasetiya Mulya, with grant ID (0/3/1233/07/17/11/02/0/0) to do this project.</span></em></p>Urat village is one of Indonesia’s many potential for rural tourism. However, study finds that indigenous people still feels left out to develop their own tourism business in their own areas.Ringkar Situmorang, Lecturer, Universitas Multimedia NusantaraArnold Japutra, Senior lecturer, The University of Western AustraliaTeddy Trilaksono, Lecturer, Universitas Prasetiya MulyaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1400302020-07-02T12:48:04Z2020-07-02T12:48:04ZHow Bali could build a better kind of tourism after the pandemic<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/342976/original/file-20200619-43229-1w0ybkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C2%2C992%2C663&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/morning-sun-bali-indonesia-traditional-fishing-403764259">Farizun Amrod Saad</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>COVID-19 has hit tourism-reliant destinations <a href="http://www.albasud.org/blog/en/1219/el-covid-19-y-las-perspectivas-para-una-transformaci-n-radical-del-turismo">hard</a>. The Indonesian island of Bali, for example, where <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3076168/coronavirus-bali-tourism-almost-paralysed-flow-chinese">70% of the population depend on tourism</a>, has seen <a href="https://www.merdeka.com/peristiwa/dampak-corona-65594-pekerja-di-bali-dirumahkan-dan-2189-kena-phk.html">extensive job and income losses</a> since it <a href="https://www.thejakartapost.com/travel/2020/04/25/bali-sees-almost-100-percent-drop-in-foreign-tourists.html">closed its borders</a> in April.</p>
<p>The economic impact so far has been greater than that of the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19881138">Bali bombings</a> of 2002, with losses of around 9.7 <a href="https://regional.kompas.com/read/2020/05/13/17591091/dampak-pandemi-covid-19-pariwisata-bali-rugi-rp-97-triliun-tiap-bulan">trillion rupiah</a> (about £551.3 million) a month.</p>
<p>In the past, the island’s image as a peaceful paradise with a rich cultural and religious heritage has made it a highly resilient tourist destination. Bali recovered swiftly in the wake of past crises, both natural and man made, including the Gulf War (1990), a cholera outbreak (1995), Sars (2003) and bird flu (2007). </p>
<p>But without significant investment and diversification, there are widespread <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/05/miracle-explains-bali-coronavirus-cases-200502035557649.html">concerns</a> that this crisis <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2020/jun/18/end-of-tourism-coronavirus-pandemic-travel-industry?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Tweet">could be different</a>.</p>
<p>A different approach may now be needed to save the tourism industry – and to make sure its benefits are more evenly spread. We believe that now is the time to adjust the model in Bali away from surf, parties, and yoga towards rural villages with high poverty rates across the island (especially the underdeveloped north-east). </p>
<p>To do this, government support is required to build <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/holiday-island-bali-set-reopen-august-fears-virus-persist/">small-scale tourism</a> that will provide new livelihoods. This might include everything from dolphin watching and snorkelling trips, to food tourism and “experience tourism” focused on traditional fishing and farming.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/african-tourism-has-been-put-on-ice-by-coronavirus-heres-how-some-countries-are-reviving-it-140508">African tourism has been put on ice by coronavirus – here's how some countries are reviving it</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>That support does not necessarily need to be in the form of cash. When we interviewed small-business representatives in Bali last year, they called not for financial subsidies, but for marketing training and access to tourism-research data.</p>
<p>As one entrepreneur told us: “Many local creative businesses are managed as informal family businesses. They lack knowledge in professional management and marketing skills.” </p>
<p>He also spoke of the need for improved collaboration between IT experts, business consultants, local universities and policymakers. </p>
<p>Yet there are important risks to consider when attempting to build a new kind of tourism. “Authentic” experiences can often be manufactured by large businesses, preventing regional economic development (other than occasional low-paid work) in the most deprived areas. </p>
<p>And without investment in tourist infrastructure, it would be too easy for tourists to prefer the manufactured version over the true “authenticity” on offer from local communities. Carefully considered investment, however, could lead to sustainable development. </p>
<p>According to Dr Luh Putu Mahyuni, a sustainable business consultant and economist at Undiknas University: “The pandemic provides a wake up call for Bali to foster […] new types of tourism such as gastronomic tourism.” </p>
<p>She told a webinar we hosted in May: “The tourism sector needs to develop products with other sectors so as to create a more resilient and sustainable economy.”</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/344266/original/file-20200626-104480-1g3100x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/344266/original/file-20200626-104480-1g3100x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344266/original/file-20200626-104480-1g3100x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344266/original/file-20200626-104480-1g3100x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344266/original/file-20200626-104480-1g3100x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344266/original/file-20200626-104480-1g3100x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/344266/original/file-20200626-104480-1g3100x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Reliable visitors to Bali’s shores.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/bali-indonesia-free-dolphin-boat-watching-1094271716">Shutterstock/NattapolStudiO</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To boost that economy, the island should also consider a tourist tax, while reducing taxes on small-scale home-stays, and better regulating the presence of Airbnb. It also needs to restrict foreign ownership of property, limit <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0160738316300408">destruction of viable farmland</a> and limit business sizes in the south of the island.</p>
<h2>An island of opportunity</h2>
<p>Notwithstanding all the devastation it has caused, COVID-19 has given the world an opportunity to pause and reflect on how things may <a href="https://theecologist.org/2020/apr/22/after-coronavirus">change in its aftermath</a>. The tourism industry in Bali (and many other places) is no exception. </p>
<p>For tourism is often seen as a solution to all kinds of problems, from economics to conservation. But as our research has shown, unless tourist money is kept in the local community, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2015.12.010">benefits do not materialise</a>.</p>
<p>And besides the major financial concerns on Bali, and the need for a tourism-led recovery, the authorities must also face up to deeply entrenched levels of structural inequality. Poverty, homelessness and dispossession existed long before the pandemic. </p>
<p>The island must learn from what happened 18 years ago, when the bombings led to job losses and increased rates of <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2167/jost643.0">depression, alcoholism and crime</a>. And we hope that Bali can use the current crisis as an opportunity to look at the causes of such social problems, rather than <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/bali-locals-without-food-or-electricity-as-economic-impact-of-coronavirus-sets-in/a826b04f-94ba-436e-8c88-96c7f85a4dfd">the symptoms</a>. To move on and build a more resilient island, where responsible tourism plays a major role in alleviating poverty.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/140030/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rick Stafford receives research funding from Interreg Europe and the Earthwatch Foundation </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jaeyeon Choe does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>An opportunity to make the island’s main industry more diverse.Jaeyeon Choe, Senior Lecturer in Tourism and Leisure, Bournemouth UniversityRick Stafford, Professor of Marine Biology and Conservation, Bournemouth UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1167252019-05-15T01:08:12Z2019-05-15T01:08:12ZThe site of the Bali bombings has been a vacant lot for 16 years. It’s time to build a proper memorial<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/274309/original/file-20190514-60549-11aev3j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Photos of the victims of the Bali bombings currently hang on a fence outside the vacant lot where the Sari Club once stood.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Made Nagi/EPA</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The author of this piece, Carmen Jacques, is available for a reader Q&A today (May 15) from 3-4pm AEST to take questions on this topic. Please post your questions in the comments below.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>On October 12, 2002, a terrorist detonated a bomb inside Paddy’s Nightclub in Kuta, Bali. Seconds later, as people fled the club, a larger bomb was detonated outside the Sari Club. <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-19881138">More than 200 people lost their lives</a>, 88 of them Australian.</p>
<p>On the first anniversary of the Bali bombings, the idea to build a Peace Park on the site of the Sari Club was conceived by survivors, responders and the victims’ families. A few years later, the Bali Peace Park Association (<a href="https://www.balipeacepark.com.au/">BPPA</a>) was founded in Perth with the aim of creating a permanent memorial at the site. It has maintained strong political support ever since, both at home and in Bali. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/remembering-the-bali-bombings-ten-years-on-10040">Remembering the Bali bombings ten years on</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Despite this, the Sari Club site has remained an empty lot for the past 16 years. <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/we-have-to-preserve-the-relationship-bali-governor-intervenes-in-sari-club-dispute-20190509-p51lgw.html">Recent negotiations</a> to purchase the land from its owner have broken down, with the owner demanding A$4.9 million for the site itself, plus an additional A$9 million in compensation for predicted future financial losses. The BPPA have agreed to the land price, but are only offering compensation of A$500,000.</p>
<p>The Bali governor, Wayan Koster, cannot force the sale, but <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-03/bali-governor-offer-land-swap-away-from-sari-club-for-peace-park/11075588">has offered the owner another parcel of land</a> about 1.5km away and urged the owner to consider the relationship between Australia and Indonesia as a priority in the negotiations. </p>
<p>But a compromise now appears remote. Last week, the BPPA chairman David Napoli was told by the owners:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Either put in an offer to buy the land or we are closing the site and preparing for heavy equipment to come in.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Why the memorial has been contentious</h2>
<p>From 2013-16, I was part of a research team studying how the proposed Bali Peace Park could become <a href="https://www.rmit.edu.au/about/our-education/academic-schools/media-and-communication/research/publications/communication-politics--culture-journal/archive/volume-47-2014-part-2">a site of collective resistance to terrorism</a>. </p>
<p>During our research, we travelled to Bali and spoke to many community members and political supporters of the memorial, including the then-governor, <a href="https://indonesiaexpat.biz/travel/history-culture/i-made-mangku-pastika-a-governor-of-the-people/">Made Pastika</a>. The local government has long supported the idea of a memorial at the site, but couldn’t build on the land itself since it is privately owned. Instead, Made Pastika put an embargo on commercial development of the site, while the BPPA negotiated with the owners to purchase the land.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-refusing-to-build-memorials-for-terror-attacks-is-a-bold-political-statement-61556">Why refusing to build memorials for terror attacks is a bold political statement</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Unfortunately, this embargo recently lapsed and the owners now want to build a five-story commercial complex at the site.</p>
<p>The Indonesian government did create a monument in between the old Paddy’s and the Sari Club site across the road, and it considers this enough. But the BPPA argues a Peace Park is needed because the design of the monument fails to say anything about the attacks. It only functions to remember the dead, not what actually happened on the day of the attacks, nor how or what we might learn from them. The BPPA wants the park to counter violent extremism by educating visitors about the attacks from a position of non-violence. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/274480/original/file-20190515-60549-16gyzv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/274480/original/file-20190515-60549-16gyzv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/274480/original/file-20190515-60549-16gyzv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/274480/original/file-20190515-60549-16gyzv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/274480/original/file-20190515-60549-16gyzv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/274480/original/file-20190515-60549-16gyzv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/274480/original/file-20190515-60549-16gyzv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The current memorial near the site of the bombings in Kuta.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Made Nagi/EPA</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In our research, we also found there were significant cultural barriers to a memorial of this sort. Ancestor veneration is done at home in Bali and it is not local custom to otherwise memorialise the dead. The places where people die are “cleansed” by Hindu priests, allowing the spirits to return home. This means the ground is not considered sacred as it no longer contains the dead. </p>
<p>We were also told by one supporter of the park, Nyoman Jarna, that the Balinese prefer to “forget” disaster – they don’t want to be reminded of such tragedy. Bali is a place of happy holidays and its entire economy relies on this.</p>
<h2>What memorials should do</h2>
<p>In my view, the current monument erected by the government is static – it does not allow for any kind of deeper engagement with visitors. It stands on a small strip of land between the two bomb sites. It is too hot and exposed during the day for people to spend any real time there. At night, it is now closed to the public to prevent possible desecration by drunk tourists.</p>
<p>Anthropologist <a href="https://www.ethnologie.uni-halle.de/personal/schramm_katharina/?lang=en">Katharina Schramm</a> has <a href="http://muse.jhu.edu/article/424060">argued</a> that sites where violent acts have taken place are dynamic spaces that are constantly being reinterpreted through the memories of survivors, responders and other visitors. Reflecting on Ground Zero in New York where the September 11 attacks took place, social psychologist Eric Miller <a href="https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.ecu.edu.au/stable/41887494?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">says</a> memorials of this sort must provide future generations with an accurate representation of the devastation that occurred there. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/reclaiming-our-home-away-from-home-the-bali-bombings-10100">Reclaiming our home away from home: the Bali bombings</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>A static monument does not adequately explain what happened. During our research, many of the tourists we spoke with had no idea what had occurred at the site of the current monument in Bali and regularly asked us what it was for.</p>
<p>Memorials that have achieved a deeper engagement – such as the <a href="https://washington.org/dc-guide-to/vietnam-veterans-memorial">Vietnam Veterans Memorial</a> in Washington, the <a href="https://oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org/">Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum</a>, and the <a href="https://www.911memorial.org/">9/11 Memorial and Museum</a> in New York – create a space for reflection and conversations with the dead. They also tell a story about what happened. </p>
<p>In my research, Gill Hicks, a survivor of the 2005 London terror attacks and now a prominent peace activist, told me: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Memorials like the one at Ground Zero should respect the lives lost and focus on ‘whatever happened’, as the victims didn’t deserve to die such a horrific death.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is what many people in Bali told me is important to them. Maria Katronikas, who lost her bridal party, two sisters and two cousins during her honeymoon said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I know how happy the girls were when I left them, I know what mood they were in, this is where they took last breath. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>And Kevin Paltridge, who lost his son, Corey, told me: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I come here to talk to Corey, sometimes for his birthday, sometimes for mine, sometimes just because I need to have a chat, I just get a couple of beers and one for him and one for me and we talk. </p>
</blockquote>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1123225292179251201"}"></div></p>
<p>As the fight over the Sari Club site continues in Bali, it’s worth keeping in mind the significance of places of remembrance. The way in which we memorialise the sites of terror attacks is particularly important because, as a society, we have a responsibility to the dead – and the living – to remember what happened. </p>
<p>If the BPPA succeeds in purchasing the land, the next challenge will be to create a peaceful place like this within the chaos of Kuta – a shady space for reflection and peace, which speaks to a future without terrorism.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/116725/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anne Aly's research in Bali was DECRA funded project - Carmen Jacques was her Research Assistant and employed/paid through the grant.</span></em></p>A land dispute has left a potential peace park at the site in doubt. Here’s why a memorial that explains what happened the day of the attacks is important.Carmen Jacques, PhD Candiate, Global Issues Practice Centre, Edith Cowan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1011772018-08-07T02:48:28Z2018-08-07T02:48:28ZTwo types of tectonic plate activity create earthquake and tsunami risk on Lombok<p>Several large earthquakes have struck the Indonesian island of Lombok in the past week, with the <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-06/indonesia-issues-tsunami-warning-after-7.0-quake-off-lombok/10076088">largest quake</a> killing at least <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-07/tourists-flee-indonesia-lombok-after-earthquake-kills-98/10081358">98 people</a> and injuring hundreds more.</p>
<p>Thousands of buildings are damaged and rescue efforts are being hampered by power outages, a lack of phone reception in some areas and limited evacuation options. </p>
<p>The majority of large earthquakes occur on or near Earth’s tectonic plate boundaries – and these recent examples are no exception. However, there are some unique conditions around Lombok. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1026441720739885057"}"></div></p>
<p>The recent earthquakes have occurred along a specific zone where the Australian tectonic plate is starting to move over the Indonesian island plate – and not slide underneath it, as occurs further to the south of Lombok. </p>
<p>This means there is earthquake and tsunami risk not only along the plate boundary south of Lombok and Bali, but also from this zone of thrusting to the north.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/balis-agung-using-volcano-forensics-to-map-the-past-and-predict-the-future-88229">Bali's Agung – using 'volcano forensics' to map the past, and predict the future</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Jammed subduction zone</h2>
<p><a href="https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/tectonic.html">Tectonic plates</a> are slabs of the Earth’s crust that move very slowly over our planet’s surface. Indonesia sits along the “<a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/ring-fire/">Pacific Ring of Fire</a>” where several tectonic plates collide and many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur.</p>
<p>Some of these earthquakes are very large, such as the <a href="https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/official20041226005853450_30#executive">magnitude 9.1 quake</a> off the west coast of Sumatra that generated the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. This earthquake occurred along the Java-Sumatra subduction zone, where the <a href="https://geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/parks/pltec/platesSH.pdf">Australian tectonic plate</a> moves underneath Indonesia’s Sunda plate. </p>
<p>But to the east of Java, the <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=Ch_1JlLkKE0C&pg=PA311&lpg=PA311&dq=jammed+subduction+zone+Timor&source=bl&ots=hLz551ggEI&sig=3spbU-EADT83CiRYtP1kkZh2fko&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwij97G5u9fcAhUCXbwKHTVOCLUQ6AEwDXoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=jammed%20subduction%20zone%20Timor&f=false">subduction zone has become “jammed”</a> by the <a href="https://earthhow.com/earth-crust-oceanic-crust-continental-crust/">Australian continental crust</a>, which is much thicker and more buoyant than the oceanic crust that moves beneath Java and Sumatra. </p>
<p>The Australian continental crust can’t be pushed under the Sunda plate, so instead it’s starting to ride over the top of it. This process is known as back-arc thrusting.</p>
<p>The data from the recent <a href="https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us1000g3ub#executive">Lombok earthquakes</a> suggest they are associated with this back-arc zone. The zone extends north of islands stretching from eastern Java to the island of Wetar, just north of Timor (as shown in map below).</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230822/original/file-20180807-191013-f7cftk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230822/original/file-20180807-191013-f7cftk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230822/original/file-20180807-191013-f7cftk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230822/original/file-20180807-191013-f7cftk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230822/original/file-20180807-191013-f7cftk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230822/original/file-20180807-191013-f7cftk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=482&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230822/original/file-20180807-191013-f7cftk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=482&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230822/original/file-20180807-191013-f7cftk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=482&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Earthquake hazards along plate boundaries near Indonesia. The dates in the map show historical earthquakes, and Mw indicates earthquake magnitude.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/2016GL067941">Edited by P. Cummins from an original by Koulali and co-authors</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Historically, <a href="https://ecat.ga.gov.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search?node=srv#/metadata/1bfdaf44-0958-9d45-e053-10a3070a8d40">large earthquakes have also occurred</a> along this back-arc thrust near Lombok, particularly in the 19th century but also more recently. (Dates and sizes of past earthquakes are shown in the map above). </p>
<p>It is thought that this zone of back-arc thrusting will eventually form a new subduction zone to the north along from eastern Java to the island of Wetar just north of Timor.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/ive-always-wondered-do-nuclear-tests-affect-tectonic-plates-and-cause-earthquakes-or-volcanic-eruptions-86915">I've always wondered: do nuclear tests affect tectonic plates and cause earthquakes or volcanic eruptions?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Tsunami risk</h2>
<p>Lombok’s recent earthquakes – the August 5 6.9 magnitude quake plus a number of aftershocks, and the 6.4 magnitude earthquake just a week before it – <a href="https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us1000g3ub#map">occurred in northern Lombok</a> under land, and were quite shallow. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230827/original/file-20180807-191031-mnorh2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230827/original/file-20180807-191031-mnorh2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=326&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230827/original/file-20180807-191031-mnorh2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=326&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230827/original/file-20180807-191031-mnorh2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=326&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230827/original/file-20180807-191031-mnorh2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230827/original/file-20180807-191031-mnorh2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230827/original/file-20180807-191031-mnorh2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=410&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Recent earthquakes on Lombok were also felt on the neighbouring island of Bali.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us1000g3ub#map">US Geological Survey</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Earthquakes on land can sometimes cause undersea landslides and generate a tsunami wave. But when shallow earthquakes rupture the sea floor, much larger and more dangerous tsunamis can occur. </p>
<p>Due to the large number of shallow earthquakes along the plate boundaries, Indonesia is particularly vulnerable to tsunamis. The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Indian-Ocean-tsunami-of-2004">2004 Indian Ocean tsunami</a> killed more than 165,000 people along the coast of Sumatra, and in 2006 over 600 people were killed by a <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2006GL028005">tsunami</a> impacting the south coast of Java.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-after-an-earthquake-how-does-a-tsunami-happen-83732">Explainer: after an earthquake, how does a tsunami happen?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The region around Lombok has a history of tsunamis. In 1992 a <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2009/09/30/timeline-history-pacific-tsunamis-earthquakes.html">magnitude 7.9 earthquake</a> occurred just north of the island of Flores and generated a tsunami that swept away coastal villages, killing more than 2,000.</p>
<p>Nineteenth century earthquakes in this region also caused large tsunamis that killed many people.</p>
<p>The areas around Lombok and the islands nearby, including Bali, are at high risk for earthquakes and tsunamis occurring both to the north and the south of the island.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, large earthquakes like the ones this week cannot be predicted, <a href="http://www.tsunamiready.com/resources/index.php">so an understanding of the hazards</a> is vital if we are to be prepared for future events.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101177/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Caught in the middle: Lombok and Bali are exposed to earthquake and tsunamis risk due to a tectonic plate boundary to the south, but also a unique zone of activity that thrusts to the north.Jane Cunneen, Research Fellow, Curtin UniversityPhil R. Cummins, Professor, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/946352018-05-03T09:05:55Z2018-05-03T09:05:55ZIndonesia has far more than enough pumped hydro storage sites to support a 100% renewable electricity grid<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/215370/original/file-20180418-163966-1lke2st.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hydro-power-plant-370005596?src=H7pQkFxJtNxAT9ZqC8igMA-1-3">Maxim Burkovskiy/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>With the support of the <a href="http://australiaindonesiacentre.org/">Australia Indonesia Centre</a> we have identified 657 <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-pushing-water-uphill-can-solve-our-renewable-energy-issues-28196">potential sites across Bali for pumped hydro energy storage (PHES)</a>, with a combined potential storage capacity of 2,300 Gigawatt-hours. </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-pushing-water-uphill-can-solve-our-renewable-energy-issues-28196">Pumped hydro energy storage</a> is a technique to store energy produced by electricity generation. Using electricity generated from renewable energy such as solar power and wind, the potential sites for PHES that we identified in Bali would be enough to support a 100% renewable Indonesian electricity grid and more. </p>
<p>Solar photovoltaics (PV) and wind are now the leading electricity generation technologies <a href="https://theconversation.com/tenaga-surya-kini-sumber-listrik-terpopuler-di-dunia-84307">being installed worldwide each year</a>. Gas and coal are in third and fourth spots respectively. <a href="https://theconversation.com/solar-pv-and-wind-are-on-track-to-replace-all-coal-oil-and-gas-within-two-decades-94033">PV is accelerating away from other energy generation technologies</a> because it’s cheaper, scalable and produces no greenhouse gas emissions, and because there is vast availability of sunshine. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/213680/original/file-20180408-5578-qx69l7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/213680/original/file-20180408-5578-qx69l7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/213680/original/file-20180408-5578-qx69l7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=363&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213680/original/file-20180408-5578-qx69l7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=363&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213680/original/file-20180408-5578-qx69l7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=363&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213680/original/file-20180408-5578-qx69l7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=457&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213680/original/file-20180408-5578-qx69l7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=457&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213680/original/file-20180408-5578-qx69l7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=457&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Figure 1: Net new generation capacity installed worldwide in 2017.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Indonesia has large solar potential because of its tropical location. Much less than 1% of Indonesian land would be required to produce all of the nation’s electricity using PV. About half of the panels would be on the roofs of buildings. Although Indonesia has only a small amount of PV at present, exponential growth can change this quickly - as happened in Australia, China and many other countries.</p>
<p>Because of its equatorial location solar energy does not vary much throughout the year, unlike in higher latitudes. PV (and wind) are now economically competitive with new-build coal and gas in Indonesia. </p>
<p>The Australian and Indonesian electricity systems are of similar size. In Australia, effectively all new generation capacity is PV and wind, and no new coal power stations are ever likely to be built. PV and wind are replacing old coal power stations as these are retired. About 4.5 Gigawatts of new PV and wind will be installed in Australia in 2018, compared with peak demand of 35 Gigawatts.</p>
<p>Although PV and wind are variable energy resources that depend on the local weather, the approaches to support them to achieve a reliable 100% renewable electricity grid are straightforward: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>provide energy storage in the form of pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) and batteries, coupled with <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/demand-management-4872">demand management</a></p></li>
<li><p>provide strong interconnection of the electricity grid between regions using high-voltage power lines spanning long distances. This smooths out adverse local weather, greatly reducing the amount of storage needed.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>PHES accounts for <a href="http://www.energystorageexchange.org/projects/data_visualization">97% of energy storage worldwide</a> because it is the cheapest form of large-scale storage, with an operational lifetime of 50 years or more. Most existing PHES systems are located in river valleys and are associated with hydroelectric systems. However, off-river PHES has larger potential because of the much larger number of potential sites away from rivers.</p>
<p>Annual water requirements of a PHES-supported 100% renewable electricity grid would be much less than the current fossil fuel system, because wind and PV do not require cooling water. PHES, batteries and demand management are all likely to have prominent roles as the Indonesian grid transitions to 100% renewable energy.</p>
<hr>
<p><strong><em>Read more: <a href="http://theconversation.com/how-pushing-water-uphill-can-solve-our-renewable-energy-issues-28196">How pushing water uphill can solve our renewable energy issues</a></em></strong> </p>
<hr>
<p>Off-river PHES requires pairs of modestly sized reservoirs at different altitudes, typically with an area of 100 hectares. The reservoirs are joined by a pipe with a pump and turbine. Water is pumped uphill on windy and sunny days when electricity is plentiful; then, when generation tails off, electricity can be dispatched on demand by releasing the stored water downhill through the turbine. </p>
<p>Off-river PHES typically delivers maximum power for <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544217309568">between five and 25 hours</a>, depending on the size of the reservoirs. </p>
<p>Indonesia has enormous pumped hydro storage potential. PHES can readily be developed to balance the electricity grid with any amount of solar and wind power, all the way up to 100%. Figure 2 shows the location of prospective areas – the red areas are highly prospective.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/213683/original/file-20180408-5578-1cf9kn9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/213683/original/file-20180408-5578-1cf9kn9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/213683/original/file-20180408-5578-1cf9kn9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213683/original/file-20180408-5578-1cf9kn9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213683/original/file-20180408-5578-1cf9kn9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=417&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213683/original/file-20180408-5578-1cf9kn9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=524&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213683/original/file-20180408-5578-1cf9kn9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=524&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213683/original/file-20180408-5578-1cf9kn9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=524&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Figure 2: Prospective areas of Indonesia that are suitable for pumped hydro. Areas coloured red are highly prospective.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Most of the 657 potential PHES sites we have identified in Bali are off-river. Of course, there is also large potential on other islands. We will soon undertake further Indonesian site searching, and expect to find <a href="https://theconversation.com/want-energy-storage-here-are-22-000-sites-for-pumped-hydro-across-australia-84275">as many sites as in Australia</a> (where we found 22,000 good sites). </p>
<p>The locations of the Bali upper reservoir sites (blue dots) are shown in Figure 3 below. Each site has between 1 gigawatt-hour (GWh) and 100 GWh of storage potential. </p>
<p>To put this in perspective, Indonesia probably needs less than 1,000 GWh of storage spread across a few dozen sites within the archipelago to support a 100% renewable electricity system. Developers can afford to be choosy with this large oversupply of sites. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/213681/original/file-20180408-5578-1jadixl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/213681/original/file-20180408-5578-1jadixl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/213681/original/file-20180408-5578-1jadixl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213681/original/file-20180408-5578-1jadixl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213681/original/file-20180408-5578-1jadixl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=391&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213681/original/file-20180408-5578-1jadixl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213681/original/file-20180408-5578-1jadixl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213681/original/file-20180408-5578-1jadixl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Figure 3: Upper reservoir pumped hydro sites in Bali.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Figure 4 below show a synthetic Google Earth image for some of the potential upper reservoirs in Bali (more details on the site search are <a href="http://re100.eng.anu.edu.au/research/phes/">available here</a>). The larger reservoirs shown in each image are of such a scale that only one or two would be required to stabilise a 100% renewable electricity system for Bali.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/213682/original/file-20180408-5603-frrz9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/213682/original/file-20180408-5603-frrz9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/213682/original/file-20180408-5603-frrz9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213682/original/file-20180408-5603-frrz9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213682/original/file-20180408-5603-frrz9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213682/original/file-20180408-5603-frrz9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213682/original/file-20180408-5603-frrz9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/213682/original/file-20180408-5603-frrz9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Figure 4: At most, one or two of the sites shown would be developed.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Detailed information about the Bali sites is available <a href="http://re100.eng.anu.edu.au/research/re/for/indonesia.php">here</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/94635/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Blakers receives funding from the Australia Indonesia Centre and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Stocks receives funding from ARENA for an Atlas of Pumped Hydro Storage. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bin Lu tidak bekerja, menjadi konsultan, memiliki saham, atau menerima dana dari perusahaan atau organisasi mana pun yang akan mengambil untung dari artikel ini, dan telah mengungkapkan bahwa ia tidak memiliki afiliasi selain yang telah disebut di atas.</span></em></p>Annual water requirements of a PHES-supported 100% renewable electricity grid would be much less than the current fossil fuel system, because wind and PV do not require cooling water.Andrew Blakers, Professor of Engineering, Australian National UniversityBin Lu, PhD Candidate, Australian National UniversityMatthew Stocks, Research Fellow, ANU College of Engineering and Computer Science, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/886292017-12-06T04:19:24Z2017-12-06T04:19:24ZBali’s Mt Agung eruption shows how businesses should and shouldn’t react to uncontrollable events<p>There’s nothing like an <a href="https://theconversation.com/tourists-are-stuck-at-the-airport-but-erupting-mt-agung-has-a-deeper-significance-for-the-balinese-88297">erupting volcano</a> to reveal who does and doesn’t have their crisis management plans sorted out.</p>
<p>Sudden uncontrollable events are an inevitable part of any tourism operation. Businesses worth their salt should at least in principle have the capacity to remedy situations that go wrong, as part of their modus operandi. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-how-to-keep-up-with-the-latest-on-mt-agung-the-bali-volcano-88158">Here's how to keep up with the latest on Mt Agung, the Bali volcano</a>
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<p>Conventional <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Services-Marketing-Integrating-Customer-Across/dp/007716931X">marketing wisdom</a> says that when organisations react properly to uncontrollable events, it has positive consequences for their overall relationship with their customers. But for this to be effective, those affected customers need to have a quick response from businesses or it could simply be counterproductive. </p>
<p>The closure of Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/27/indonesia-extends-bali-airport-closure-due-to-agung-volcano-eruption.html">left many passengers stranded</a>. And while the volcano and its ash cloud are beyond airlines’ control, how they respond to the needs of stranded passengers is completely within their remit.</p>
<h2>How to prepare and handle uncontrollable events</h2>
<p>Tourism businesses should start by <a href="http://edoc.ku-eichstaett.de/19929/">communicating precisely what they are going to do</a> about the situation to the customer - quickly and clearly, to reduce uncertainty and avoid confusion. This needs to be backed up by tangible actions, namely doing the <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/009207039502300403">specific things promised</a> and making amends with the customer. Fail to do this, and businesses run the risk of further negative consequences.</p>
<p>Speaking from recent personal experience during a short vacation in Bali, Jetstar Australia quickly communicated that relief flights departing from the island would come into operation immediately (weather permitting). They also made it clear to any inbound Bali passengers that there would be no flights bringing them to the island unless longer-term weather conditions were deemed favourable. </p>
<p>Specific Bali departure flight details, along with those cancelled, were regularly updated via the business’ online and social media platforms. Customers were also able to interact directly with Jetstar through their call centre and online chat forums. This particular activity was also replicated by other Australian carriers – Virgin and Qantas – that fly to the island, so generally customers were well informed about the situation. </p>
<p>Without this kind of communication, customers quickly become confused, uncertain, and even panicked at the prospect of being trapped on the island. Volcanic eruption <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8634944.stm">can impact air traffic patterns</a> and this is more disconcerting to both customers and <a href="https://thewest.com.au/news/bali/volcano-eruption-turns-bali-hotspots-into-ghost-towns-ng-b88680728z">Bali tourism businesses</a>, as the potential for <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/887938/Bali-volcano-update-Mount-Agung-will-erupt-again-news-latest">a major eruption increases</a>. </p>
<p>Providing timely information about what action customers need to take <a href="https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/recovering-and-learning-from-service-failure/">is paramount</a>. For example, hotels need to communicate early with existing customers about the possibility of them extending their stay so as to provide them with the first option of rooms.</p>
<p>While Bali businesses did not appear to be very proactive on this front, Indonesia’s tourism minister requested hotels provide discounts to stranded passengers and instructed discount carriers not to take advantage of <a href="http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/tourism-minister-asks-bali-hotels-to-give-discounts-to-stranded-9445048">the situation through cancellation and rescheduling fees</a>. The minister also stipulated an automatic extension to expired visas. </p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/bali-tourism-and-the-mt-agung-volcano-quick-dollars-or-long-term-reputation-88322">Bali tourism and the Mt Agung volcano: quick dollars or long term reputation</a>
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<p>But there are also pitfalls associated with any response to an unexpected event because of other businesses in the marketplace. For example one business that deals badly with the event <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10548408.2016.1208785">could have a negative impact</a> on a customer’s overall experience irrespective of other businesses’ recovery efforts. </p>
<p>For example, customers may have booked and paid for additional hotel accommodation in anticipation of a lengthy delay, but in the interim received notice they are scheduled on an earlier relief flight because conditions were now favourable. Due to various hotel non-refund policies, and that of online accommodation wholesalers, this could <a href="http://www.theindependent.sg/how-does-volcano-in-bali-affect-your-vacation/">result in an unpredictable loss</a> to the customer with the potential to reflect negatively on their experiences with both the hotel and the airline. </p>
<p>It’s also crucial for businesses to inform customers about the specific source of any failure, because customer perceptions of who is responsible for the failure <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1096348010382237">plays a central role in their future actions</a>. </p>
<p>In the case of the eruption of Mt Agung, airlines flying to Bali constantly referenced the weather conditions and the closure of the airport as being directly responsible for their decision not to fly. At all times the underlying key message of passenger safety had another purpose – providing an attribution for the service failure.</p>
<p>Even though businesses should take the lead, they also need customers to do their bit too. At the very least, customers need to ensure that their holiday contact details are current as well as have diligence in monitoring, where possible, mobiles and emails to help with the recovery effort. Travellers should also be aware that there are many <a href="http://smartraveller.gov.au/bulletins/Pages/Mount-Agung-Volcano.aspx">government sources of information available</a> designed specifically to inform about what to do in situations like Bali. </p>
<p>Overall, this Bali event provides us an insight into what businesses should and shouldn’t do when it comes to responding to these unexpected hiccups.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/88629/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Russel PJ Kingshott does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Businesses worth their weight in salt should at least in principle have the capacity to remedy situations that go wrong, as part of their modus operandi.Russel PJ Kingshott, Senior Lecturer in Retailing, School of Marketing, Curtin Business School, Curtin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/883222017-11-30T09:22:41Z2017-11-30T09:22:41ZBali tourism and the Mt Agung volcano: quick dollars or long term reputation<p>Bali’s Mt Agung has been active since September 2017. The intensity of the volcano’s activity increased significantly throughout November until it started <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/21/mount-agung-bali-smoke-ash-rises-eruption">spewing smoke and ash on November 21th</a>. However, it was not until November 27th that the Bali Tourism Board published <a href="http://balitourismboard.or.id/page/mountagung/official-statement-2.html">its first updates</a> on the volcano’s activity and its possible impacts on tourists. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, Indonesia’s Disaster Management authorities
<a href="https://reliefweb.int/disaster/vo-2017-000141-idn">have issued a high level of alert about Mt Agung</a> for over a month. Many of the international airlines which service Bali have been forced to cancel flights into and out of Bali due to the high level of volcanic ash in the skies over and surrounding Bali. </p>
<h2>Passengers stranded</h2>
<p>According to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/28/bali-volcano-leaves-tourists-stranded-some-worry-others-may-stay-away.html">media reports</a>, thousands of international and domestic tourists are virtually stranded in Bali awaiting delayed flights out of Bali to international or alternative Indonesian domestic destinations. </p>
<p>Airlines are subject to strict rules related to flying in skies with volcanic ash. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the UN body which governs global airline safety, <a href="https://www.icao.int/publications/Documents/9974_en.pdf">bans airlines from flying in skies which have a certain level of volcanic ash</a>. </p>
<p>Many airlines enforce stricter rules than the ICAO on flying through volcanic ash. In recent days, Qantas, Japan Airlines, KLM, Jetstar, Air Asia and Virgin Australia are among the airlines which have suspended flights to and from Bali. </p>
<h2>Criticism over Bali’s business-as-usual approach</h2>
<p>The Bali Tourism Board and the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism came under considerable criticism from the international media and much of the global travel industry for its market driven advice to tourists. </p>
<p>Until its announcement of November 27th, both institutions were informing the travellers they had nothing to worry about from Mt Agung. While it is true that Mt Agung is 70 kilometers away from most of Bali’s popular tourism resorts, it was misleading to suggest the volcano’s increasing activity would have no impact on tourists.</p>
<p>Bali is heavily dependent on the <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2017/11/28/news/economy/bali-volcano-economy/index.html">tourist dollar</a>. Over 60% of the Balinese economy and jobs are directly or indirectly dependent on the industry. <a href="http://www.disparda.baliprov.go.id/en/Statistics2">In 2016 nearly 5 million</a> international tourists visited Bali while domestic tourists <a href="http://www.disparda.baliprov.go.id/en/Statistics2">could reach 7 million a year</a>. It’s not surprising that for economic reasons, Bali wanted to maintain the flow of visitors.</p>
<p>However, a core principle in risk management are the twin concepts of likelihood and consequence. As most volcanologists recognise, there is now a high likelihood of a major eruption of Mt Agung. The consequences of an eruption would be mass evacuations from the area surrounding the mountain. </p>
<p>Others include poisoning of water supplies, high levels of atmospheric ash, crop damage, and disruption to transport. In addition, the challenge of accommodating local evacuees and stranded visitors would create an emergency management disaster on an epic scale.</p>
<p>Bali’s “business as usual” approach until November 27th was widely regarded as highly irresponsible. To many observers, it appeared that the Balinese tourism industry was more interested in keeping the tourist dollars flowing than in demonstrating any duty of care to tourists. </p>
<p>It is little wonder that many tourists were confused by the mixed messages coming from Indonensia’s tourism ministry and Bali’s tourism board that all was well while airlines and Indonesia’s own disaster management agencies warned of danger.</p>
<h2>Long-term reputation more important</h2>
<p>Many of the tourists in Bali who have been inconvenienced or stranded have bitterly complained on both social and traditional media platforms. They were critical of the misleading advice they received from travel agents and the Bali Tourism Board, which contradicted that of airlines, government travel advisories and travel insurance companies.</p>
<p>This has impacted on the reputation of the quality and honesty of advice provided to tourists, travel agents and tour operators from both the Indonesian Tourism Ministry and the Bali Tourism Board. The most precious asset any national or local tourism board has is its reputation for honest, accurate and reliable information. This includes providing warnings of potential dangers to tourists and measures that tourists can take to minimise their exposure to those dangers.</p>
<p>Ironically, I was in Bali in May 2017 giving a presentation on this very issue. I spoke at the APEC Counter Terrorism and Tourism Conference, hosted by the government of Indonesia. In fact, <a href="https://www.apec.org/Publications/2017/09/Strengthening-Tourism-Business-Resilience-against-the-Impact-of-Terrorist-Attack">my approach to advising government tourism board</a> is to provide due warning to arriving tourists on security related risks (including natural disaters) was adopted as one of the key recommendations to APEC governments as a conference outcome.</p>
<p>The Balinese Tourism Board should learn an important lesson from its misleading messaging in response to Mt Agung. It is better to sacrifice some tourism business in the short term than to permanently damage a good reputation as a reliable and respected provider of destination tourism and marketing information.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/88322/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Beirman tidak bekerja, menjadi konsultan, memiliki saham, atau menerima dana dari perusahaan atau organisasi mana pun yang akan mengambil untung dari artikel ini, dan telah mengungkapkan bahwa ia tidak memiliki afiliasi selain yang telah disebut di atas.</span></em></p>Until late November, Bali’s high economic dependence on tourism led its Tourism Board to dismiss the dangers of the Mount Agung volcano. This severely undermined the reputation of destination Bali..David Beirman, Senior Lecturer, Tourism, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/882292017-11-30T04:22:12Z2017-11-30T04:22:12ZBali’s Agung – using ‘volcano forensics’ to map the past, and predict the future<p>Mt Agung, known locally as <a href="https://theconversation.com/tourists-are-stuck-at-the-airport-but-erupting-mt-agung-has-a-deeper-significance-for-the-balinese-88297">Gunung Agung</a>, is a <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s004450050139">3,142 metre high volcano</a> located at the eastern end of the island of Bali, Indonesia.</p>
<p>It’s erupting ash and steam right now, and has been since Saturday November 25, 2017.</p>
<p>To work out what might happen next at Agung, scientists rely on current observations, paired with forensic techniques that tease apart the geology of this volcano. </p>
<p>Signs that might indicate onset of a more dangerous eruption at Agung are: </p>
<ul>
<li>intensifying emissions of ash that reach the stratosphere (the second layer of the Earth’s atmosphere)</li>
<li>lava flows starting to descend the mountain’s flanks </li>
<li>sustained shaking of the volcano by earthquakes. </li>
</ul>
<p>On everyone’s mind is Agung’s most recent large eruption in 1963-64. At this time, more than 1,000 people were killed by dense flows of hot volcanic rocks and dust (called pyroclast density flows), and mudflows of volcanic debris called lahars. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FWSp0vXkBwk?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Agung’s 1963-64 eruption killed more than 1000 people.</span></figcaption>
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<p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/tourists-are-stuck-at-the-airport-but-erupting-mt-agung-has-a-deeper-significance-for-the-balinese-88297">Tourists are stuck at the airport, but erupting Mt Agung has a deeper significance for the Balinese</a>
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<h2>Recent activity at Mt Agung</h2>
<p>Through <a href="https://theconversation.com/balis-mount-agung-threatens-to-erupt-for-the-first-time-in-more-than-50-years-84356">September</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/mount-agung-continues-to-rumble-with-warnings-the-volcano-could-still-erupt-85825">October</a> this year, a large number of earthquakes were detected below Mt Agung. </p>
<p>A 10 km evacuation zone was established, and about 100,000 persons moved to safer accommodation. The seismicity declined, and a steady plume of steam emerged from the summit crater. This indicated that groundwater was being heated by magma (a hot mixture of molten and semi-molten rock). </p>
<p>A “phreatomagmatic eruption” – resulting from interaction between magma and groundwater – occurred a few days ago. This was followed by an intensifying eruption of a column of ash, reaching some 8 km into the atmosphere. This style of eruption is called “plinian” after the <a href="https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6868/f4ddd620d872f17bb06f1139e4a250a4cb0f.pdf">climactic eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD</a>, as described by Pliny the Younger.</p>
<p>The ash is <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/titles/7694.html">fragmented magma</a>, blown apart by separation and expansion of minerals and gases (water, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide) previously dissolved in the magma.</p>
<p>Now earthquake activity has picked up again. “<a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/JB090iB02p01881/abstract">Harmonic tremors</a>” are occurring, where the volcano shakes due to magma moving rapidly through underground channels and fractures that are connected to the summit crater. </p>
<p>Evacuations are <a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-how-to-keep-up-with-the-latest-on-mt-agung-the-bali-volcano-88158">active again</a>, given concern that the eruption might escalate further. Dangerous pyroclast density flows – a style known as “peléean” after the <a href="https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/4/9/521/194182/mount-pele-e-martinique-a-pattern-of-alternating?redirectedFrom=PDF">1902 eruption of Mt Pelée</a> in the Lesser Antilles – are possible. </p>
<h2>Volcano forensics at Agung</h2>
<p>Studies of previous eruptions of volcanoes are critical in attempting any kind of prediction for future behaviour. </p>
<p>In the case of Mt Agung, mapping of the ashes, mudflows, pyroclast density flows, and lavas for eruptions that dated back about 5,000 years were reported in a <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00445-015-0943-x">2015 study</a>.</p>
<p>Measurements to determine the frequency of eruptions, plus the area and thicknesses of the various types of flow and ash deposits were made. The map shows some of these features for the eruptions in 1963 and 1843. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/196654/original/file-20171128-2042-173hfq9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/196654/original/file-20171128-2042-173hfq9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/196654/original/file-20171128-2042-173hfq9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=432&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/196654/original/file-20171128-2042-173hfq9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=432&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/196654/original/file-20171128-2042-173hfq9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=432&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/196654/original/file-20171128-2042-173hfq9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=543&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/196654/original/file-20171128-2042-173hfq9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=543&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/196654/original/file-20171128-2042-173hfq9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=543&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bali’s Mt Agung had significant eruptions in 1843 and 1963. PDC = pyroclastic density current, a flow of hot volcanic matter; lahar = a slurry of volcanic debris.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00445-015-0943-x">Marcella Cheng for The Conversation, adapted from Figure 5 Fontijn et al 2015</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The authors concluded that the eruption of Agung in 1843 was more energetic than that of 1963-64, and eruptive activity in the past few hundred years has been more intense on average than its behaviour for the past few thousand years. </p>
<h2>Volcanic Explosivity Index</h2>
<p>Accompanying the basic field mapping, a variety of other forensic methods are used by geologists to map out past volcanic activity. </p>
<p>A “<a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/JC087iC02p01231/full">Volcanic Explosivity Index</a>” is a measure calculated based on direct observations of eruptions, plus experimental replication and modelling. It reflects the intensity and explosivity of a given eruption, factoring in how high, how much, how widespread, how hot, and how dangerous (in terms of gas output) the emitted materials were. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/197042/original/file-20171129-12075-11ira2y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/197042/original/file-20171129-12075-11ira2y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197042/original/file-20171129-12075-11ira2y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197042/original/file-20171129-12075-11ira2y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197042/original/file-20171129-12075-11ira2y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197042/original/file-20171129-12075-11ira2y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197042/original/file-20171129-12075-11ira2y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A thin-section of a rock known as andesite, from the Soufrière Volcano, Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles. The section reveals complex compositional zoning of the crystals forming part of the rock.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Clare Connolly</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Follow up analyses take place in the lab. Scientists work on volcanic rocks and other materials to determine what materials they are made of, their chemical compositions and the makeup of any trapped gases. </p>
<p>One important goal is to work out the viscosity (the “runniness”) of the magma that was present at the site. Magmas that contain high levels of silica – an example is rhyolite – tend to be more viscous, and therefore more likely to be explosive than less silica-rich types, such as basalt and andesite. </p>
<p>Rocks that are recovered from a volcanic site carry a physical and chemical record of the underground conditions they had been exposed to in the past. The record is seen in the layers, or zones, of crystalline minerals that make up volcanic rocks. </p>
<p>For Mt Agung, this type of forensic work has been very useful. It shows that recharging of a magma chamber in the Earth’s crust – that is, arrival of a new batch of magma from deeper levels in the crust into the shallowest magma chamber that feeds the summit eruption – had preceded and probably triggered the 1963-64 eruption. </p>
<p>Some volcanic rocks are incredibly beautiful. Fragments of <a href="https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/msa/elements/article-abstract/13/1/11/272174/down-the-crater-where-magmas-are-stored-and-why?redirectedFrom=PDF">magma</a> that have cooled within the Earth’s crust result in coarsely crystalline rocks, as shown in the photograph below. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/197041/original/file-20171129-12072-szjo5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/197041/original/file-20171129-12072-szjo5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197041/original/file-20171129-12072-szjo5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197041/original/file-20171129-12072-szjo5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197041/original/file-20171129-12072-szjo5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=478&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197041/original/file-20171129-12072-szjo5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=478&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/197041/original/file-20171129-12072-szjo5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=478&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Coarsely crystalline rocks tell scientists what events have taken place deep beneath a volcano. This example is from La Soufrière Volcano, St Vincent, in the Lesser Antilles.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Richard J. Arculus</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Watching and waiting</h2>
<p>There remain many uncertainties in terms of predicting where, when, and how energetic the next eruption will be for many of the <a href="https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/msa/elements/article-abstract/13/1/41/272265/volcanoes-characteristics-tipping-points-and-those?redirectedFrom=PDF">many volcanoes on Earth</a>. </p>
<p>In the case of Mt Agung, current measurements plus past “form” are currently being applied to monitor the situation. </p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-do-most-volcanologists-die-from-getting-too-close-to-volcanoes-82496">Curious Kids: Do most volcanologists die from getting too close to volcanoes?</a>
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<p>For many volcanoes however, we have not established patterns because the gaps between eruptions are so long. Other factors can be hard to predict, like the structural collapse that occurred at <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00569940">Mt St Helens in 1980</a>. </p>
<p>The volcanoes with the longest known breaks between eruptions have erupted the largest volumes of material. These are the so-called “super volcanoes”, such as those at lakes Taupo (<a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377027301002396">New Zealand</a>) and Toba (<a href="https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/books/book/128/chapter/3789107/Resurgent-Cauldrons">Sumatra, Indonesia</a>).</p>
<p>There are no observations recorded by humans for these enormous events, and volcano forensics are currently our only guides as to their possible behaviour.</p>
<p>In Bali, experts are watching closely for more ash, and evidence of lava flows that might herald high danger for locals. </p>
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<p><em>A note from the author in response to reader feedback on the map contained in this story: Zen & Hadukisumo (1964) show a wider distribution of ash for the 1963-64 eruption covering much of Java for the March (1963) phase and as far west as Surabaya in Java for the May (1963) phase. But no isopleths are given for this distribution.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/88229/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richard John Arculus receives funding from the Australian Research Council</span></em></p>‘Volcano forensics’ involves a mixture of modern day monitoring and analysis of past eruptions. Geologists use volcanic rocks as a kind of time capsule to assess what happened previously.Richard John Arculus, Emeritus professor in geology, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/858252017-10-18T19:18:05Z2017-10-18T19:18:05ZMount Agung continues to rumble with warnings the volcano could still erupt<p>It’s more than three weeks since the alert level on Bali’s Mount Agung was <a href="https://thewest.com.au/news/world/indonesian-authorities-raise-alert-level-for-mount-agung-volcano-to-highest-level-ng-b88608620z">raised to its highest level</a>. An eruption was <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-25/eruption-imminent-on-mount-agung-as-people-race-for-shelter/8980100">expected imminently</a> and thousands of people were evacuated, but the volcano has still not erupted.</p>
<p>I keep getting emails from people asking me whether they should travel to Bali. I tell them to check the Australian’s government’s <a href="http://smartraveller.gov.au/Countries/asia/south-east/pages/indonesia.aspx">Smartraveller</a> website, or contact their airline or tour operator. </p>
<p>They should also keep an eye on the media and any <a href="https://magma.vsi.esdm.go.id/press/">updates</a> from the Indonesian Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/balis-mount-agung-threatens-to-erupt-for-the-first-time-in-more-than-50-years-84356">Bali's Mount Agung threatens to erupt for the first time in more than 50 years</a>
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<p>Reports this week from the Indonesian National Disaster Management Authority show a decline in seismic energy recorded near the volcano.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"919903496412917760"}"></div></p>
<p>But does that mean the threat of any eruption is over?</p>
<h2>A few false starts</h2>
<p>The last major eruption of Mount Agung was in 1963. Since then, there have been two known periods of activity at the volcano site without an ensuing eruption.</p>
<p>In 1989, a few volcanic earthquakes occurred and hot, sulphur-rich gas emissions were observed with no eruption.</p>
<p>Between 2007 to 2009, <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674984715300884">satellite data</a> showed inflation (swelling) of the volcano at a rate of about 8cm per year, probably caused by the inflow of new magma (molten rock) into the shallow plumbing system. This was followed by deflation for the next two years, again without an eruption.</p>
<p>The current volcanic activity – mainly the number of earthquakes – has not subsided since the alert level was raised to level 4. It continues to fluctuate at high levels, with <a href="https://magma.vsi.esdm.go.id/press/view.php?id=101">more than 600 earthquakes a day</a>. This indicates that the threat of an eruption is still high, despite a general decline in overall seismic energy. </p>
<p>This past weekend saw the highest number of daily earthquakes, with more than 1,100 recorded on Saturday October 14. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190717/original/file-20171018-30394-11i7ypq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190717/original/file-20171018-30394-11i7ypq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190717/original/file-20171018-30394-11i7ypq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190717/original/file-20171018-30394-11i7ypq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190717/original/file-20171018-30394-11i7ypq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190717/original/file-20171018-30394-11i7ypq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190717/original/file-20171018-30394-11i7ypq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190717/original/file-20171018-30394-11i7ypq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Graph showing the number of recorded earthquakes per day at Mount Agung volcano. The orange shows shallow volcanic earthquakes, light green is deep volcanic earthquakes and the blue is local tectonic earthquakes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation</span></span>
</figcaption>
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<p>The <a href="https://magma.vsi.esdm.go.id/press/view.php?id=101">latest statement</a> from the Indonesian Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation was released on October 5. It said earthquake data indicates that pressure is continuing to build up under the volcano due to the increasing magma volume and as magma moves towards the surface.</p>
<h2>It’s all about the gas</h2>
<p>Magma contains dissolved gases (volatiles) such as water, carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide. As magma moves towards the surface, the pressure becomes less and so gas bubbles form, akin to taking the top off a fizzy drink bottle. These gas bubbles take up additional space in the magma and increase the overall pressure of the system. </p>
<p>The amount of gas, and whether or not gas is able to escape from the magma prior to eruption, are major factors that determine how explosive (or not) any volcanic eruption will be. </p>
<p>If the gas bubbles forming in the magma stay within as it ascends beneath Mount Agung, then it could lead to a more explosive eruption. If the gas formed is able to escape, it might depressurise the system enough to erupt less violently or not at all.</p>
<p>White gas plumes, composed mainly of <a href="https://magma.vsi.esdm.go.id/vona/display?noticenumber=2017AGU11">water vapour</a>, have been observed. They have typically reached 50-200m above the crater rim at Mont Agung, and up to 1,500m on October 7. This water vapour is likely due to the hydrologic system heating up in response to the intruding magma at depth.</p>
<p>During the 1963 eruption, Mount Agung produced a significant amount of sulphur-rich gas that caused an estimated global cooling of 0.1-0.4°C. In this current phase of activity, we are yet to see any significant release of sulphur dioxide from the intruding magma. </p>
<h2>How big would an eruption be?</h2>
<p>It’s not easy to predict how big any eruption at Mount Agung would be. <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00445-015-0943-x">Analysis</a> of volcanic material deposited during previous eruptions over the past 5,000 years suggests that about 25% of them have been of similar or larger size than the 1963 eruption. </p>
<p>On the neighbouring island of Java, the explosive <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-10-26/indonesias-mount-merapi-volcano-erupts/2312624">2010 eruption of Mount Merapi</a> saw more than <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377027312001862">400,000 people evacuated and 367 killed</a>. This was preceded by increased earthquake activity over a period of about two months. It was the volcano’s largest eruption since 1872.</p>
<p>The monitoring data and <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00410-014-1061-z">studies of the volcanic rocks</a> produced by the Merapi eruption suggest the relatively fast movement of a <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377027312001862">large volume of gas-rich magma</a> was the reason for the unusually large eruption. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/ambae-volcanos-crater-lakes-make-it-a-serious-threat-to-vanuatu-84830">Ambae volcano's crater lakes make it a serious threat to Vanuatu</a>
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<p>In 2010, the Indonesian Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation issued timely forecasts of the size of the eruption phases at Merapi, saving an estimated <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377027312001862">10,000–20,000 lives</a>.</p>
<h2>The waiting game</h2>
<p>The Indonesians are keeping a close eye on seismic activity at Mount Agung and the public can watch a <a href="https://magma.vsi.esdm.go.id/live/seismogram/">live seismogram</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190728/original/file-20171018-30394-1ojvv9k.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190728/original/file-20171018-30394-1ojvv9k.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190728/original/file-20171018-30394-1ojvv9k.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190728/original/file-20171018-30394-1ojvv9k.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190728/original/file-20171018-30394-1ojvv9k.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190728/original/file-20171018-30394-1ojvv9k.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190728/original/file-20171018-30394-1ojvv9k.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190728/original/file-20171018-30394-1ojvv9k.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Screenshot of the Mount Agung seismogram showing the large number of earthquakes recorded on October 13 and 14, 2017.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://magma.vsi.esdm.go.id/live/seismogram/">Indonesian Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation</a></span>
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<p>The last two eruptions of Mount Agung in 1843 and 1963 had a Volcanic Explosivity Index (<a href="https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/vsc/glossary/vei.html">VEI</a>) of 5, on a scale of 0-8. A 0 would be something like a lava flow on Hawaii that you could generally walk or run from, and 8 would be a supervolcanic eruption like Yellowstone (<a href="https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/yellowstone/yellowstone_sub_page_49.html">640,000 years ago and 2.1 million years ago</a>) in the United States or Toba (<a href="https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=261090">74,000 years ago</a>) in North Sumatra, Indonesia.</p>
<p>Based on a history of explosive activity at the volcano, the Indonesian authorities are maintaining the current hazard zone of up to 12km from the summit of Mount Agung. </p>
<p>It’s still considered more likely than not that it will erupt, but the question remains: when?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/85825/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Heather Handley receives funding from the Australian Research Council</span></em></p>Hundreds of earthquakes a day are being recorded near Mount Agung in Bali as the volcano threatens to erupt for the first time in more than 50 years.Heather Handley, Associate Professor in Volcanology and Geochemistry, Macquarie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/851342017-10-05T08:58:09Z2017-10-05T08:58:09ZHow Mount Agung’s eruption can create the world’s most fertile soil<p>Mount Agung in Bali is currently on the verge of eruption, and more than 100,000 people have been evacuated. However, one of us (Dian) is preparing to go into the area when it erupts, to collect the ash. </p>
<p>This eruption is likely to be catastrophic, spewing lava and ashes at temperatures up to 1,250°C, posing serious risk to humans and their livelihoods. Ash ejected from volcano not only affects aviation and tourism, but can also affect life and cause much nuisance to farmers, burying agricultural land and damaging crops. However, in the long term, the ash will create world’s most productive soils.</p>
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Baca juga:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/balis-mount-agung-threatens-to-erupt-for-the-first-time-in-more-than-50-years-84356">Bali's Mount Agung threatens to erupt for the first time in more than 50 years</a>
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<p>While volcanic soils only cover 1% of the world’s land surface, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/238789918_Volcanic_soils">they can support 10% of the world’s population</a>, including some areas with the highest population densities. </p>
<h2>The ring of fire</h2>
<p>Indonesia is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a chain of volcanoes that stretches from Sumatra through Java and Bali to Timor, and constitutes the most dangerous of the world’s tectonic interfaces. </p>
<p>Throughout history, Indonesia’s volcanic eruptions have affected the world’s climate, notably the volcano of <a href="https://theconversation.com/armageddon-and-its-aftermath-dating-the-toba-super-eruption-10393">Lake Toba with its super-eruption around 74,000 years ago</a>, which caused a six-year volcanic winter. <a href="http://www.volcanolive.com/tambora.html">Mount Tambora</a> is known for its violent eruption in 1815 causing <a href="https://io9.gizmodo.com/5885668/the-year-without-a-summer-and-how-it-spawned-frankenstein">a year without summer in Europe</a>, and the <a href="https://www.livescience.com/28186-krakatoa.html">Krakatau explosion in 1883</a> also cooled the world.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Baca juga:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-why-volcanoes-erupt-44732">Explainer: why volcanoes erupt</a>
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<p>The eruption of Tambora, on the island of Sumbawa in 1815 ejected an estimated 160 cubic kilometres of ashes into the atmosphere. This catastrophic event affected population in nearby islands, including Bali. Agriculture was destroyed by ash deposits and shortage of sunlight. It was estimated that the misery lasted 10–15 years before the ashes turned into fertile soils. </p>
<p>The 1963-64 eruption of Mt Agung released 0.95 cubic km of solid volcanic material and lava. Some 1,580 people were reportedly killed by the rapid lava flows and accompanying poisonous gases. </p>
<p>But if a comparable eruption occurred tomorrow, the death toll would be greatly lessened by the warning systems now in place. </p>
<h2>Implications for neighbouring countries</h2>
<p>Among the constant eruptions of Indonesia’s many volcanoes (66 currently being monitored, and among those 50–60 are considered “active”), huge ones will arrive. </p>
<p>They will be enormously destructive to Indonesia, will impact the world’s climate, and will challenge neighbouring countries such as Australia in manage without air traffic while assisting millions of displaced Indonesians to survive and recover. </p>
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Baca juga:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-worlds-five-deadliest-volcanoes-and-why-theyre-so-dangerous-74901">The world's five deadliest volcanoes ... and why they're so dangerous</a>
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<p>Even the moderate ones that are likely to occur every decade, causing dislocations to hundreds of thousands, need to be prepared for in a systematic way.</p>
<h2>Volcanoes and population density</h2>
<p>In the past decade, volcanoes in various parts of Indonesia have been quite active and erupted, notably Merapi (2010) in Central Java, Sinabung (2014) in North Sumatra, and Kelud (2014) in East Java. </p>
<p>Despite the danger posed by these volcanoes, areas with high volcanic activity also have some of the world’s most fertile farmlands due to release of plant nutrients such as potassium and phosphorus. </p>
<p>Dutch scientist E.C.J. Mohr observed in 1938 that the region near Mount Merapi has <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/figure/225828566_fig1_Figure-1-Population-density-persons-km-2-around-the-Merapi-Volcano-Central-Java">higher population densities</a> in areas with soils derived from volcanic ash. </p>
<p>These soils are most probably the reason that Java can sustain high human population densities, estimated at more than 1,100 people per square km. Several years after Mt Galunggung in West Java erupted in April 1982, crop productivity in the local area of Tasikmalaya were boosted. </p>
<h2>Volcanic ash, the fertilizer reserve</h2>
<p>Dian Fiantis from University of Andalas in Padang is a volcanic ash hunter. She sees volcanic eruptions as an opportunity to study the beginning of how soils formed, a process that could take thousands and even millions of years. She has collected and studied ashes immediately after volcanoes have erupted in Sumatra. </p>
<p>Tephra (the scientific name of volcanic ash) contains primary minerals which have abundance of nutrients. Over time, chemical and biological weathering, the ashes will release the nutrients and the ash will increase its surface area, enable them to hold more nutrients and water. </p>
<p>In addition, it has the capacity to sequester a high amount of carbon (taking carbon out of the atmosphere and put it in the soil).</p>
<p>On January 28, 2014, Mount Sinabung erupted with pyroclastic flow and “mud rain”. Ashes covered most of the Sigarang Garang village, which is located northeast of the foot of volcano. The ashes contains a high amount of nutrients, notably calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphate. </p>
<p>It was estimated that the region received 250 million tonnes of ash – the equivalent of up to 10 million tonnes of fertiliser. </p>
<p>When we visited the village in January 2017, we saw some of the ashes were already colonised by lichens, and some even with grasses growing on them. These areas have already accumulated substantial organic matter, up to 4% of organic carbon, meaning they can soak up a large amount of carbon from the atmosphere through plants.</p>
<p>Mohr postulated that Indonesia can sustain such as high population density due to the presence of active volcanoes. But the regular eruptions throughout the country have also caused devastation to the people living around the volcanoes. </p>
<p>This natural phenomenon renews the soil, but it takes time for the ashes to be weathered. We need to work on solutions that will hasten the rate of soil formation. It is a challenge to convince local farmers that the eruption is a blessing in disguise, and that this natural phenomenon ultimately keeps Indonesia’s soils fertile.</p>
<p>We also hope the Australian government will devote its capacity to modelling and preparing for the appropriate response to a major disaster, which is far more likely on a longer time frame. </p>
<p>Cooperation between military and emergency services between Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and East Timor must begin before the disaster occurs, to establish trust, communication lines, and strategies.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/85134/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Budiman Minasny receives the Sydney South East Asia Centre mobility fund. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dian Fiantis receives funding from Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education of Republic of Indonesia, 2015 - 2016.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anthony Reid tidak bekerja, menjadi konsultan, memiliki saham, atau menerima dana dari perusahaan atau organisasi mana pun yang akan mengambil untung dari artikel ini, dan telah mengungkapkan bahwa ia tidak memiliki afiliasi selain yang telah disebut di atas.</span></em></p>Volcanic ash can cause a nuisance to farmers, burying agricultural lands and damaging crops. But in the long term, this ash will create highly productive soil that can support huge populations.Budiman Minasny, Professor in Soil-Landscape Modelling, University of SydneyAnthony Reid, Emeritus Professor, School of Culture, History and Language, Australian National UniversityDian Fiantis, Professor of Soil Science, Universitas AndalasLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/843562017-09-20T06:03:57Z2017-09-20T06:03:57ZBali’s Mount Agung threatens to erupt for the first time in more than 50 years<p>A marked increase in the number of earthquakes happening below Mount Agung volcano in eastern Bali, Indonesia, over the past few weeks has authorities keeping a close watch on the situation.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-20/bali-volcano-mount-agung-threatens-to-erupt/8962656">latest alert</a> issued by the national and local government agencies now forbids climbing of the mountain and orders evacuations within 7.5km of the summit.</p>
<p>Although infrequent, eruptions of Mt Agung have been among the largest of the past 100 years of global volcanic activity. More than 1,000 people died during the last eruption in 1963.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/ancient-volcanic-eruptions-disrupted-earths-thermostat-creating-a-snowball-planet-82215">Ancient volcanic eruptions disrupted Earth's thermostat, creating a 'Snowball' planet</a>
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<p>Our ability to predict eruptions has improved dramatically since this last event, so we can hope such a death toll will not occur again. </p>
<p>Mt Agung is one of many similar volcanoes in Indonesia and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Ring-of-Fire">Ring of Fire</a> surrounding the Pacific and eastern Indian oceans. But during its sporadic eruptions, Agung has been one of the most prominent injectors of volcanic ash and sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. </p>
<p>This type of activity can have effects that are more widely felt than by just the population of Bali. </p>
<h2>The 1963-64 eruption</h2>
<p>Mt Agung is a large volcano with a peak 3,142 metres above sea level. The mountain dominates the landscape of eastern Bali. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/186713/original/file-20170920-900-aoo10h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/186713/original/file-20170920-900-aoo10h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/186713/original/file-20170920-900-aoo10h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=305&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/186713/original/file-20170920-900-aoo10h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=305&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/186713/original/file-20170920-900-aoo10h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=305&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/186713/original/file-20170920-900-aoo10h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/186713/original/file-20170920-900-aoo10h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/186713/original/file-20170920-900-aoo10h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Mount Agung at sunrise back in 2015.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dmwil6/23050342342/">Flickr/Darren Willman</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
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<p>The 1963 eruption was preceded by earthquakes. Then in February of that year, lava began to flow from the summit crater, eventually extending for about 7km down the northern slope. Small explosions of volcanic ash accompanied this activity. </p>
<p>The intensity of explosive activity developed rapidly leading to a major explosion on March 17. Simultaneously, eruption of terrain-hugging debris flows of red-hot lava blocks, ash and gases (pyroclast flows or nuées ardentes), tore down the flanks devastating large areas on the north and south sides of the volcano. </p>
<p>Heavy rainfall on the fragmental volcanic materials triggered flows of mud and boulders to additional flanks of the mountain. These debris flows are called lahars, an Indonesian word that has been adopted globally. Another major explosive event occurred two months later from Agung with similar physical consequences. </p>
<h2>What is happening now?</h2>
<p>Based on the activity that preceded the last eruptions of Mt Agung in 1963, there is growing concern that the volcano might experience a major eruption in the near future. </p>
<p>There was an eruption of similar intensity in 1843, and several in the 16th to 18th centuries. </p>
<p>The ability of volcanologists to predict eruptions has improved dramatically in the past 50 years. A primary line of evidence is the frequency and locations of earthquakes beneath the volcano, caused by upward flowing magma. </p>
<p>Swelling and inflation of the volcano coupled with measurements of the temperatures and composition of gases emerging from the crater also give clues as to the likelihood of an eruption. </p>
<p>Eruption predictions accurate to time periods as short as hours and days, such as those preceding the <a href="https://www.livescience.com/14603-pinatubo-eruption-20-anniversary.html">climactic eruption at Mt Pinatubo</a> in the Philippines in 1990, have successfully saved many lives. </p>
<p>So there is no need to be caught unawares by Mt Agung, providing the advice of the authorities, armed with expert assessments, is followed.</p>
<p>There are always practical difficulties in moving local inhabitants and curious on-lookers away from the dangers of natural hazards. But Indonesia is the most <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/news/revolutionizing-volcano-monitoring-indonesia">volcanically active nation on Earth</a>, and has become expert in safeguarding the civilian populations that live on their slopes.</p>
<h2>Wider consequences</h2>
<p>The magmas that erupt along the Ring of Fire are rich in dissolved gases, primarily water, carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide. As the magmas ascend to the surface of the Earth, the release of pressure reduces the solubility of the gaseous compounds. </p>
<iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d1010555.4311218886!2d114.43584734108097!3d-8.35413745521358!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x2dd202e428b2eac7%3A0xa7d7d26cb3a3a7ad!2sMount+Agung!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sau!4v1505883519482" width="100%" height="600" frameborder="0" style="border:0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<p>The increase in volume of the combined gas and magma (liquid) compared with that of magma alone is the physical process that drives volcanic explosions and fragmentation of the magma to form so-called ash. Much of the volcanic gas is discharged into the Earth’s atmosphere. </p>
<p>There are many important consequences of this overall process, but in the case of sulphur dioxide, Mt Agung is particularly important.</p>
<p>By the 1963 eruption, atmospheric monitoring had developed to the point where vast amounts of sulphur dioxide could be detected being injected into the stratosphere from this volcano. </p>
<p>Sulphur dioxide reacts with water vapour to form long-lived droplets (aerosols) of sulphuric acid, and about 10 million tons of these droplets are known to have accumulated in the stratosphere as a result of the eruption. </p>
<p>Droplets can persist for months to years leading to small decreases in global atmospheric temperatures. In the case of the 1963 Agung eruption, the temperature drops were about 0.1-0.4°C. </p>
<p>The other wider consequence of the types of eruption that are typical of Ring of Fire volcanoes is the hazard presented by atmospheric volcanic ash. </p>
<p>Disruption of air traffic in particular is a nuisance both socially and economically, as experienced both locally for Bali, regionally in Indonesia, and globally. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/when-the-bullin-shrieked-aboriginal-memories-of-volcanic-eruptions-thousands-of-years-ago-81986">When the Bullin shrieked: Aboriginal memories of volcanic eruptions thousands of years ago</a>
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<h2>What next?</h2>
<p>Close monitoring of the activity beneath and on Mt Agung will continue. Similar “seismic crises” at other volcanoes have not always been followed in short spaces of time by eruptions. </p>
<p>But in the developing situation, it is essential that the advice of the expert authorities be followed with respect to the potential hazards presented by the mountain in its present state.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/84356/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richard Arculus receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p>Warnings are being issued to stay clear of an Indonesian volcano following a series of earthquakes.Richard John Arculus, Emeritus professor, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/740382017-03-08T19:25:55Z2017-03-08T19:25:55ZIndonesia vows to tackle marine pollution<p>It is wet season in Bali, Indonesia, a popular tourist destination for Australian, Russian, German, Chinese and Japanese visitors.</p>
<p>As the rain pounds down on banana leaves and rice fields, the rivers fill up and irrigation systems overflow. With it, the water masses bring trash in bulk: anything from food wrappers and plastic bags to bottles and other domestic waste. </p>
<p>To tackle the issue of marine pollution, several organisations got together in Nusa Dua – a popular tourist destination – and other locations across Bali to stage the largest beach clean-up the island has seen. </p>
<p>Around <a href="http://www.oneislandonevoice.org">12,000 volunteers collected 40 tons of garbage at 55 locations</a>, according to the One Island, One Voice campaign page. </p>
<p>While the beach clean-up was a hugely successful awareness campaign and a great promotion which highlights the efforts done around the island, it is only a drop in the ocean of global marine pollution.</p>
<h2>Plastic pollution in Indonesia</h2>
<p>In recent years, Bali has seen growing environmental problems such as pollution and freshwater scarcity. Popular tourist destination Kuta beach is regularly covered in waste. Most of this is plastic that washes ashore during the rainy season. </p>
<p>The island’s garbage dumps are <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/bali-struggling-to-cope-with-mountains-of-waste-left-behind-by-australian-tourists/news-story/ae885bcc2e12e57fe70f980d435ac28c">reportedly overflowing,</a>. This makes solid waste management a pressing issue. Some <a href="http://www.idepfoundation.org/en/bwp/summary">60% of Bali’s water catchment are drying up</a>, threatening freshwater resources.</p>
<p>On top of that, Indonesia is the world’s second-biggest marine polluter after China, discarding 3.22 million metric tons of waste annually. This accounts for <a href="https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/123-a90/">10% of the world’s marine pollution</a>. </p>
<p>The effects marine pollution has on ecosystems and humans are beginning to be well documented. Marine scientists have found harmful <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2017/02/27/4624878.htm">consequences of marine pollution to sea life, ecosystems and humans</a>. </p>
<p>Plastic can kill ocean mammals, turtles and other species that consume it. It can also poison food and water resources, as harmful chemicals leach out of the plastic.</p>
<p>It poses <a href="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=37894#.WL3kSaOr2Fh">threats to human health</a> as well. Plastics leach cancerous toxins. After being consumed by marine species, they enter the food chain, eventually ending up in fish we eat.</p>
<p>Marine plastic pollution is a global problem and Indonesia’s beaches present pressing examples to study the socio-economic effects this has on coastal communities. </p>
<h2>Most vulnerable to marine pollution left out of global discussions</h2>
<p>Last month, The Economist held <a href="http://www.economist.com/events-conferences/asia/ocean-summit-2017">the fourth Oceans Summit</a> in Bali. </p>
<p>The summit was attended by state leaders such as Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla, representatives of major global economic organisations such as Citigroup managing director Michael Eckhart, and celebrity and entrepreneur Adrian Grenier.</p>
<p>Speakers and panels discussed a number of topics, including the “<a href="https://theconversation.com/marine-science-challenges-for-a-growing-blue-economy-22845">blue economy</a>” and how companies and governments can participate in this marine-based sustainable industry. </p>
<p>During the summit, the Indonesian government announced it will pledge <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/the-coral-triangle/2017/mar/02/indonesia-pledges-us1-billion-a-year-to-curb-ocean-waste">US$1 billion to curb ocean waste by 70% by 2025</a>. It’s an ambitious objective, which shows dedication and commitment to a plastic-free future. </p>
<p>But not all voices are heard in this global debate. Many Bali-based environmental organisations engaged in education programs were not represented at the summit. Those economically most vulnerable to pollution – such as beach vendors, fishermen and others employed in the marine tourism trade – appear to be left out of the conversation. </p>
<h2>Marine pollution and tourism</h2>
<p>The Indonesian government plans to boost tourism and increase national visitors from 9.7 million in 2015 <a href="https://www.kenresearch.com/blog/2016/06/travel-tourism-indonesia-2020/">to 20 million by 2020</a>. Such increases in visitor numbers and population will raise consumption and waste production, further pressuring the island’s infrastructure and ecosystems.</p>
<p>With tourism as the island’s largest economic sector, many <a href="https://www.academia.edu/16477400/Water_Tourism_and_Social_Change_A_Discussion_of_Environmental_Perceptions_in_Bali">Balinese people depend on foreign visitors to earn an income</a>. Some tourism operators are concerned that if the plastic problem increases it will damage this industry. They fear tourists will stop coming to Bali if it is too polluted.</p>
<p>Marine communities may also suffer negative socio-economic consequences, as fishermen can lose their livelihood and tourism operators lose their customers.</p>
<p>While some tourism operators understand that clean beaches are key in attracting international tourists, the expected growth is likely to further stress Bali’s environment. </p>
<h2>What is being done?</h2>
<p>Efforts by activists, community groups and NGOs to clean beaches play a key role in protecting Bali’s environment. But they are only a temporary fix and don’t tackle the causes of this global problem. </p>
<p>Such groups are leading the fight against over-development and pollution through protests, clean-up events and educational programs. </p>
<p>Campaigners from Bali-based environmental youth group “Bye Bye Plastic Bags” advocate for an island-wide ban on plastic bags. They also spoke at the Ocean Summit. </p>
<p>And while they convinced Bali’s governor to commit to make the island <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/good-weekend/plastic-bags-to-leave-bali-for-good-20160824-gqzpck.html">plastic-bag-free</a> by 2018, continued development of legislation, regulation and industry guidelines is needed to save Indonesia’s waterways from drowning in waste.</p>
<p><em>Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article claims that substantial groundwater resources in Bali were predicted to run dry by 2020. It should be 60% of Bali’s water catchment are drying up. It has been corrected.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/74038/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Thomas Wright does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Marine plastic pollution is a global problem. Bali’s beaches present prime examples and an opportunity to study the socio-economic effects this has on coastal communities.Thomas Wright, PhD Candidate in Anthropology, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/669142016-11-14T07:36:08Z2016-11-14T07:36:08ZIndonesia is paying lip service to stopping human trafficking – it’s time to do more<p>In July 2016, Ima Matul, an Indonesian woman who grew up in the rural village of Malang, East Java, <a href="http://www.castla.org/ima-matul-speaks-at-the-2016-democratic-national-convention">spoke in front of thousands of people</a> at the US Democratic National Convention. She told the story of how she survived human trafficking. </p>
<p>When Matul was 17 years old, a labour recruiter promised her a job as nanny and housekeeper in the United States, with a salary of US$150 a month. The recruiter was a trafficker and Matul was enslaved for three years, doing long hours of unpaid domestic work. She was forbidden to go outside or talk to anyone, and was often beaten. </p>
<p>Matul eventually escaped by writing to a nanny next door. The neighbour helped her by driving her to the Los Angeles offices of the <a href="http://www.castla.org/homepage">Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking</a>, and she has been campaigning against human trafficking ever since. </p>
<h2>Women exploited</h2>
<p>Matul’s story is one of thousands, and it shows that human trafficking is a real threat to human security, especially for women. </p>
<p>Women are the most vulnerable group for being trafficked. According to a 2014 report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), <a href="http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/glotip/GLOTIP_2014_full_report.pdf">some 70% of victims</a> in the global trafficking trade are women (49%) and girls (21%). Apart from forced labour, as was the case for Ima Matul, women are also sexually exploited. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/glotip/GLOTIP_2014_full_report.pdf">UNODC report notes</a> that 53% of trafficked women were forced into the sex trade, 40% were forced labourers, and 7% had organs removed for trade or were put to other uses. </p>
<h2>Indonesia’s role</h2>
<p>Indonesia is a major source country for <a href="http://www.protectionproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Indonesia.pdf">trafficking in women and children</a>, both across and within its borders. </p>
<p>Although the figure has been falling, <a href="http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.NAHC?end=2014&locations=ID&start=1996">according to the World Bank</a>, more than 10% of Indonesians lived below the poverty line in 2014. The country also has a high rate of unemployment (<a href="http://www.bps.go.id/brs/view/id/1139">5.5% in February 2016</a>, which is about 7.02 million people), making it easy for traffickers to recruit victims. </p>
<p>A 2010 reports shows that around <a href="http://www.protectionproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Indonesia.pdf">30% of sex workers in Indonesia</a> are girls younger than 18, who were forced into the sex trade. They are victims of sex tourism destinations across the country, such as in Bali and Lombok, which cater to both local and foreign tourists. </p>
<h2>What’s being done</h2>
<p>In 2007, Indonesia enacted a law criminalising all kinds of human trafficking at home and overseas. In the same year, <a href="http://dfat.gov.au/about-us/publications/Pages/amplifying-our-impact-australias-international-strategy-to-combat-human-trafficking-and-slavery.aspx">the Australia government partnered</a> with intergovernmental organisations to help the Indonesian government’s efforts by providing legal reviews in human trafficking cases, and training for transnational investigative cooperation as well as financial investigation.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/145746/original/image-20161114-21935-1nppqzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/145746/original/image-20161114-21935-1nppqzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145746/original/image-20161114-21935-1nppqzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145746/original/image-20161114-21935-1nppqzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145746/original/image-20161114-21935-1nppqzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145746/original/image-20161114-21935-1nppqzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/145746/original/image-20161114-21935-1nppqzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Bali is one of Indonesia’s sex tourism destinations.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/doliveck/16187929551/">Mikaku/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>Australia and Indonesia are implementing a policy of tracking people who travel to Indonesia for sex tourism purposes. A wide network of police forces, including the Australian Federal Police, the Indonesian police, and Interpol, track sex offenders through chat rooms and keep an eye on their travel plans. And then alert the destination country every time sex offenders travel. </p>
<p>In 2014, Indonesia was the number one destination for <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/world/indonesia-now-number-one-destination-for-australian-child-sex-tourists-20141010-1142ax.html">Australian child sex tourism</a>. So cooperation between the two governments is also an attempt to curb the number of Australian sex predators in Indonesia.</p>
<h2>Other efforts</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.unicef.org/indonesia/">Indonesia is working with UNICEF</a> to address the issue of trafficking and sexual exploitation of children. It adopted a <a href="http://www.arnec.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ANNEX-3-Laws-of-child_protection.pdf">Child Protection Law in 2002</a> to protect minors from abuse, violence, exploitation and discrimination. All member countries signed the <a href="http://www.asean.org/storage/images/2015/November/27th-summit/ASCC_documents/ASEAN%20Regional%20Plan%20of%20Action%20on%20Elimintation%20of%20Violence%20Against%20WomenAdopted.pdf">Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women and the Elimination of Violence against Children in ASEAN</a> in 2004, and the <a href="http://hrlr.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2013/06/14/hrlr.ngt016.extract">ASEAN Human Rights Declaration in 2012</a>. </p>
<p>Despite these policies and agreements, Indonesia is still seeing an increase in the number of people being trafficked. Data from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs <a href="http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/09/07/ri-ratify-anti-trafficking-pact-soon.html">showed a growth of human trafficking</a> from 188 cases in 2013 to 548 cases in 2015. Most were women and children. </p>
<p>As of 2016, the <a href="Trafficking%20Victims%20Protection%20Act">US Trafficking Victims Protection Act</a>(TVPA) categorised Indonesia as a Tier 2 country. These are countries whose governments don’t fully comply with the minimum standards of the TVPA but are making efforts towards it. While this shows progress, it also illustrates that efforts by the Indonesian government haven’t yet protected women and children from trafficking. </p>
<h2>Why no progress?</h2>
<p>Even though ASEAN has put agreements in place to combat trafficking, there are no strict regulations in the regional framework to adopt on the domestic level. Member countries have different priorities and perspectives regarding the issue of human trafficking. And so far, only <a href="http://www.interaksyon.com/article/123256/cambodia-singapore-ratify-asean-convention-against-trafficking-in-persons">Singapore, Cambodia</a> and <a href="http://asean.org/thailand-deposits-instrument-of-ratification-for-the-asean-convention-against-trafficking-in-persons/">Thailand</a> have ratified the <a href="ASEAN%20Convention%20on%20Trafficking%20in%20Persons,%20Especially%20Women%20and%20Children">ASEAN Convention on Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children</a>. </p>
<p>In late September 2016, <a href="http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/09/29/indonesia-to-ratify-asean-convention-against-human-trafficking-1475161284.html">the Indonesian government said</a> it was still in the process of ratifying the convention and harmonising it with national laws. But there’s been no word on when the process can be expected to be completed. </p>
<p>Indonesia must step up its effort to stop the trafficking of women and children. It needs to enforce laws, and implement bilateral and regional agreements. The country also needs to focus on development that will address unemployment and lift the population over the poverty line. Only then can we no longer expect stories like that of Ima Matul.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/66914/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Karina Utami Dewi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Human trafficking is a growing problem in Indonesia and, despite support from regional neighbours, the country isn’t making much progress.Karina Utami Dewi, Lecturer in International Relations, Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII) YogyakartaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/646732016-09-01T20:17:32Z2016-09-01T20:17:32ZBeneath the surface of tourism in Bali<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136073/original/image-20160831-30780-14vls6m.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Thousands of people in Bali have joined a movement to reject land reclamation in Benoa Bay.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Supplied</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>“For thrill seekers and chill seekers” – that’s the phrase the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TodayTonight/videos/1170347629671358/">Today Tonight</a> television program used to show areas in Bali as a freshly rebranded holiday destination, in its recent <a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/entertainment/a/32362557/perths-tina-altieri-uncovers-the-new-bali/">Brand New Bali series</a>. </p>
<p>But beneath the glamorous surface of cocktails, swimming pools and beach holidays lies an environmental threat that may cause the island to face a water crisis in less than four years. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/finnsbeachclub/videos/1075338289168546/">One segment</a> of Brand New Bali focused on the area of Canggu, hailed as the new “place to be”, after Kuta, Legian and Seminyak. </p>
<p>Showcasing one newly opened Australian-owned beach club at Berawa beach, the segment shows Australian visitors, the Australian beach club manager and a local businessman named Ketut talk about the splendours of Canggu and its rise from a small fishing village to a trendy international surf destination.</p>
<p>The beach club sits on an aquifer, underground layers of rock that contain water that can surface through natural springs or be extracted using pumps. Like most tourism businesses and households in the area, the beach club relies on groundwater for daily water consumption. </p>
<p>Lack of management and overconsumption of water can cause aquifers to face groundwater depletion and land subsidence. Although Bali is a lush, tropical island with rich volcanic soil and a more than 1,000-year heritage of rice production, <a href="http://baliadvertiser.biz/no-water-no-bali-bali-water-crisis-researchers-find-solution-bali-water-protection-program-bwp-penyelamatan-air-tanah-bali/">researchers estimate the island will run dry</a> by 2020. </p>
<p>Stress on waterways is more than just a local issue to Bali. It is of global concern, as UNICEF’s current campaign <a href="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=54781#.V8YxbPl96Uk">World Water Week</a> seeks to highlight.</p>
<h2>Balinese opposition to outside investors</h2>
<p>Bali’s struggle against cashed-up outside investors is most prominent in the “Tolak Reklamasi” movement. Thousands of supporters have joined the movement to reject land reclamation in Benoa Bay, where investors from Jakarta are planning to build hotels and casinos on artificially-built islands. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2008854/bali-locals-arms-over-plan-build-artificial-islands-host">Protesters claim this will have negative environmental consequences</a> such as flooding, place stress on water and waste management, and destroy dozens of Hindu sacred sites. </p>
<p>While there are many - local residents included - who welcome the booming tourist scene in Canggu and the economic opportunities this offers, researchers warn about rapid and uncontrolled development. Balinese tourism researcher I Nyoman Darma Putra has addressed the <a href="http://ojs.unud.ac.id/index.php/kajianbali/article/view/15704">shift from cultural tourism to marine tourism</a> and notes the increasing demand for marine leisure activities by tourists. He cautions against the rapid development of coastal spaces and urges developers to consider <a href="http://ojs.unud.ac.id/index.php/kajianbali/article/view/15720">Balinese people’s religious relationship with the sea</a>, as well as the sustainable management of environmental resources. </p>
<h2>Tourism and water</h2>
<p>An estimated <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160738312000047">60% of Bali’s water is consumed by the tourism industry</a>. This not only affects water sources but can disadvantage neighbouring users too.</p>
<p>Stroma Cole’s research shows how wealthy tourism operators can afford better technology to access deeper groundwater resources. While most households have wells up to 40 metres deep (some only 12m), resorts are reported to drill deeper wells - 60m and more - literally sucking up their neighbours’ water. The neighbours are then forced to dig deeper or look elsewhere for freshwater. </p>
<p>Although there are laws that regulate water consumption, they are rarely enforced. Most users are unaware of these regulations. As a result, those with financial resources can buy themselves an advantage in accessing resources.</p>
<p>Water tables across Bali have dropped up to 50m in the past 10 years in parts of Bali and <a href="http://www.idepfoundation.org/en/bwp">60% of its watersheds are declared dry</a>. The damage could become irreversible once aquifers suffer saltwater intrusion, rendering the groundwater useless for domestic purposes. </p>
<h2>Bali tourism: who really benefits?</h2>
<p>So what benefit may this beach club have to the area? Surely, large developments can bring economic prosperity to semi-urban areas? </p>
<p>The prospects seem bleak. Beach vendors, who have been selling cold drinks and snacks on this stretch of sand in Berawa for years, were forced to move to make way for the new mega-club, and are left fearing for their business. Many of those beach vendors have families to feed. The assumption that more tourism business means more wealth for Balinese residents is also misleading: <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/50985004_If_Indonesia_is_Too_Hard_to_Understand_Let's_Start_with_Bali">an estimated 85% of tourism businesses are owned by non-Balinese.</a>.</p>
<p>The Today Tonight segment does well in highlighting the popularity of places like Canggu and touches on the special place Bali holds towards its Australian audience. Australians in particular have a close connection to Bali through decades of mass tourism and the market seems to be changing from a budget, all-inclusive version, to a glossy, exotic marine tourism destination. </p>
<p>While an exclusive cocktail in the newest popular beach bar will look good on any traveller’s social media feed, consumers, developers and residents alike must consider seriously measures of environmental sustainability, so that generations to come can enjoy the beauty of this wonderful island. </p>
<hr>
<p><em>The author makes no claim of representing or speaking on behalf of a Balinese community. Some of the information is based on ethnographic field research the author undertook in the Canggu area between 2015 - 2016 as part of his PhD project.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/64673/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Thomas Wright does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Mass tourism in Bali is causing the island to face imminent groundwater crisis.Thomas Wright, PhD Candidate in Anthropology, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/497292015-10-26T03:53:51Z2015-10-26T03:53:51ZIndonesians should be able to talk about 1965 massacres without fear of censorship<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/99608/original/image-20151026-18421-1s6875e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">After 17 years of democratic rule, Indonesia still censors discussions on the 1965 communist purge. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">alexskopje/www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Ubud Writers and Readers Festival (UWRF) has cancelled events discussing <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-indonesias-1965-1966-anti-communist-purge-remade-a-nation-and-the-world-48243">the 1965 Indonesian massacres</a>, after police threatened to revoke the festival permit. </p>
<p>I research and write about the massacres’ impact on Indonesia. I was to moderate one of the five events that were dropped from this week’s festival. </p>
<h2>Crude censorship</h2>
<p>The Indonesian government does not acknowledge responsibility in the murder of more than half-a-million communists and their sympathisers between 1965 and 1966. </p>
<p>The Suharto regime harshly censored writings and discussions about this period. But since the regime collapsed in 1998, accounts of what happened have slowly emerged in Indonesia from survivors, activists, researchers and artists. </p>
<p>I had not imagined after 17 years of democratic rule in Indonesia, and a year after <a href="https://theconversation.com/indonesias-democratic-masses-brought-victory-to-jokowi-29569">the euphoric celebration of President Joko Widodo’s election</a>, that the government would resort to crude tactics of silencing those speaking about the massacres in front of an international audience. Clearly I was wrong. </p>
<p>Or maybe this year is a little different. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the massacre. An <a href="http://1965tribunal.org/">International People’s Tribunal</a> on the 1965 violence is underway, to be held in The Hague from November 10. Perhaps some government officials feel under pressure, despite this tribunal lacking any official judicial standing. </p>
<h2>Bali 1965</h2>
<p>In Bali, where the festival is held, around 5% of the population, or roughly 80,000 Balinese, perished in the massacres, according to <a href="http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/?GCOI=80140100648470">research by historian Geoffrey Robinson</a>. </p>
<p>My panel, <a href="http://www.ubudwritersfestival.com/program/main-program-1965-bali/">Bali 1965</a>, would have featured musicians and activists Roro Sawita, Made Mawut, Ngurah Termana and Man Angga from community organisation Taman 65 (65 Park) in Bali. </p>
<p>Angga and Termana lost their grandfathers in the massacre. Sawita has spent several years researching and documenting Bali’s dark past. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/99610/original/image-20151026-18435-w0af14.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/99610/original/image-20151026-18435-w0af14.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/99610/original/image-20151026-18435-w0af14.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=602&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99610/original/image-20151026-18435-w0af14.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=602&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99610/original/image-20151026-18435-w0af14.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=602&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99610/original/image-20151026-18435-w0af14.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=756&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99610/original/image-20151026-18435-w0af14.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=756&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99610/original/image-20151026-18435-w0af14.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=756&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Album cover of Prison Songs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Their project, <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/10/08/can-prison-songs-help-heal-wounds-indonesias-1965-massacre">Prison Songs</a>, recovers songs written and sung in Denpasar’s Pekambingan prison. Around 400 people who were accused of trying to overthrow the government in October 1965 were held there.</p>
<p>Most 1965-linked prisoners were never subjected to any trial. They were seized after seven army men were killed in Jakarta in 1965 by a group calling itself <a href="https://theconversation.com/behind-the-coup-that-backfired-the-demise-of-indonesias-communist-party-47640">the 30th September Movement</a>. The army blamed the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) for being behind the movement.</p>
<p>In her contact with former political prisoners, Sawita and other activists came across the songs that prisoners composed and sang in prison to keep their spirits up. Last July, she excitedly gave me one of the first copies of the Prison Songs book and CD to help me prepare for our session. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/axKWsh25GQU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">One of the tracks on Prison Songs, “Si Buyung” (My Only Child), performed by Man Angga from the folk band Nosstress.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Sung and recorded by professional musicians from Indonesian bands such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yujoEa1sQLc">Superman is Dead</a>, <a href="http://www.naviculamusic.com/dankie-urun-suara-dalam-prison-songs-nyanyian-yang-dibungkam/">Navicula</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHHc8RooFFo">Banda Neira</a>, the songs were alternately moving, haunting and rousing. As of last Friday, October 23, our Ubud session, which was due to take place on October 30, is no more.</p>
<h2>Bringing 1965 to Ubud</h2>
<p>Most of the cancelled festival events - panel discussions, book launches and a photographic exhibition, planned since early this year – were <a href="http://artsonline.monash.edu.au/herb-feith-foundation/official-statement-cancellation-of-1965-program-at-uwrf-2015/">sponsored by the Herb Feith Foundation</a>, an organisation that supports peace and human rights education. </p>
<p>Since 2013, the foundation, founded in honour of Australian academic Herb Feith, for whom Indonesian studies was his life’s work and passion, have been translating Indonesian <a href="https://theconversation.com/half-a-century-on-victims-voices-haunt-a-democratic-indonesia-24892">accounts of the 1965-1966 violence</a>, publishing them through Monash University Publishing.</p>
<p>One of the books translated in the series is <a href="http://www.publishing.monash.edu/books/bs-9781922235121.html">Breaking The Silence</a>, edited by Balinese former political prisoner <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putu_Oka_Sukanta">Putu Oka Sukanta</a>, a prolific writer and filmmaker. </p>
<p>Sukanta was the one who initially raised the idea of bringing the works to the festival. </p>
<p>Sukanta and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/katharine-mcgregor-121089">Katharine McGregor</a> a leading memory studies scholar and expert on the 1965-66 violence, who was one of the co-ordinators of the translation series, were also to speak at the festival. At their cancelled event, <a href="http://www.ubudwritersfestival.com/program/main-program-1965-bearing-witness/">Bearing Witness 1965</a>, they were to talk about their experience of creating the books from the harrowing testimonials of victims and perpetrators. </p>
<h2>High time</h2>
<p>After years of work on the translation series and hoping to bring to the Ubud Festival more Indonesian voices about this violence, I and many others involved feel devastated by the outcome. </p>
<p>The festival director, Melbourne-born Janet DeNeefe, who has long settled in Bali, strongly condemned censorship of the festival, but also hopes that the events “find better platforms in safer homes”, a statement that helps our speakers little. </p>
<p>Various sides implicated in the violence <a href="http://nasional.kompas.com/read/2012/08/15/20243252/PBNU.Tolak.Permintaan.Maaf.kepada.Korban.Tragedi.65">continue to oppose a national apology to the victims</a>. The attorney-general has yet to follow up on a 2012 National Human Rights Commission investigation that concluded that the army was responsible for crimes against humanity in the 1965-1966 massacres. A parliamentary decree from 1966 criminalises the spread of Marxist-Leninist teachings and is still selectively used to <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/world/bali-nine-lawyer-joins-indonesians-warning-against-return-to-suharto-censorship-20151025-gkhxi1.html?skin=text-only">prevent discussion of the anti-communist violence</a>. </p>
<p>The Ubud ban should not be seen in isolation. It is part of a <a href="http://www.alineatv.com/2015/10/condemning-massive-attack-against-indonesias-freedom-of-expression/">recent spate of attacks</a> by local authorities on discussing 1965. </p>
<p>Half a century has passed. It is high time for Indonesians to be able to discuss these issues in the place they call home without fear of censorship.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/49729/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Vannessa Hearman has received funding from the Australian Academy of Humanities in the past. She is Southeast Asia regional councillor with the Asian Studies Association of Australia. </span></em></p>The Ubud Writers and Readers Festival has cancelled events discussing the 1965 Indonesian massacres, after police threatened to revoke the festival permit.Vannessa Hearman, Lecturer in Indonesian Studies, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.