JAKARTA: Some hotels in Bali are stepping up security measures after a recent spate of violent crimes, including three foreign tourists sexually assaulted in as many days last month.
Industry insiders and observers say gaps such as weak oversight of accommodation providers should be tackled to give visitors a greater sense of safety, even as Bali’s governor has maintained the island remains safe and tourism continues as normal.
The sexual assault cases, which occurred separately on Mar 23 to 25, are isolated incidents, Governor Wayan Koster reportedly said on Mar 26. Bali police have arrested three Indonesian men in connection with the crimes.
The first case involved a woman from China who was returning to Wingsu Guest House in North Kuta from a night club in an intoxicated state at around 4.30am, according to the Indonesian National Police.
She got on the perpetrator’s motorcycle but could not remember if she used an app or a traditional motorcycle taxi, the police said.
The perpetrator raped her in a grassy area in Labuansait. The police arrested the 23-year-old suspect when he returned to the guesthouse to try to return the woman’s mobile phone, the police said.
The second case, on Mar 24, involved an Australian woman who was raped by a security staff member of a Seminyak nightclub when she returned to the club for personal items she had left behind, Bali police said.
The suspect, 29, allegedly raped her in the nightclub’s toilet at around 4am, the police said. He was arrested on Mar 26.
The third case involved a Chinese national and took place in Canggu in North Kuta. The woman had returned at around 4am from a nightspot and could not find her hotel room key, according to Bali police.
She went to the front desk for help and was later sexually assaulted by the perpetrator. The suspect, 24, has been variously described in media reports as a front-desk employee and a freelance security staff member of the hotel.
At least two foreigners have also been killed in Bali in the last two months.
A Dutchman was fatally stabbed on Mar 23 while returning to his villa in North Kuta with his Indonesian girlfriend. He was attacked by two unidentified men and later died in hospital, according to the authorities, as reported by The Jakarta Post. The police were working to identify the attackers.
In February, Ukrainian tourist Igor Komarov was kidnapped and killed in the Jimbaran area by a group of foreigners while riding scooters with two friends, reported The Jakarta Post.
He was kidnapped on Feb 15. A video of him pleading for help surfaced before his body was discovered on Feb 27, about 30km from where he was abducted. The authorities have identified six suspects, who remain at large, The Jakarta Post reported.
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