Government ministers, police and academics have been addressing the
influence of Russian visitors on the popular Bali resort enclave of
Canggu, which was recently referred to as ‘New Moscow’ on an Instagram
geo location tag.
Indonesian minister for tourism and creative economies, Sandiaga Uno,
told a media conference this week that he didn’t believe that Bali had
been “economically colonised”.
The minister, responding to concerns that Russians were moving in on
local businesses, has promised to look closely at the situation in
Canggu, especially business regulations for foreigners.
“The concrete step is strict enforcement of the law against law
violators; there will be no tolerance, especially regarding employment
opportunities, misuse of residence permits, and so on,” the minister
said.
The arrests earlier this month of two Ukrainians and a Russian, along
with an Indonesian national, after a police raid on a suspected drug
lab in Canggu further angered residents.
Tourism lecturer at Bali’s Udayana University, Prof. Dr. Drs. I Putu
Anom, told reporters, “This is a normal phenomenon because there are a
lot of Russian tourists in Canggu; that’s why New Moscow was created
there.
“The government must monitor documents so that foreign tourists do
not overstay and must stay in licensed accommodation. They must comply
with the rules.”
Former president of Indonesia, Megawati Sukarnoputri, during a recent
tour of Bali, said the island’s tourism management was a mess, noting
how local communities were bearing the consequences of this
mismanagement.