Saturday, October 10
Q&A on Family Reunification Visa + Bali calm as protests rage across country + Covid fatality rate doubles in 6 weeks + 20% of Balinese think they can't catch the virus + more!
Good morning! Welcome to The Bali Beat for Saturday, October 10. If you’re not a subscriber, sign up here to get this update delivered directly to your Inbox every Monday-Saturday morning, along with each evening’s Covid-19 update. If you are already a subscriber, thank you! Please be sure to share it with others in the foreigner community on the island by clicking the button below.
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PUBLICATION REMINDER: I’m off tomorrow, so there will be no newsletter in the morning. However, the evening Covid-19 update will publish as normal; and being Sunday, it will include a wrap-up of the week’s numbers and put them in context with previous weeks.
Weather & Waves
Today’s Weather for Southern Bali
Today’s Tides
Surf Outlook
Weather forecast from Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology & Geophysics Council (Link)
Tide table from Tide-forecast.com.
Surf outlook via Windy.com.
Local Covid Numbers
*NOTE: Click here to see the national numbers infographic and a Regency-by-Regency breakdown of yesterday’s local numbers.
The Big News
IMMIGRATION UPDATE: The Indonesian Mixed Marriage Society (PerCa Indonesia) held a webinar this week with Head of Section at the Immigration Traffic Sub-Directorate of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Tri Hernanda Reza, to discuss the process for applying online for the Limited Stay Visa for Family Unification, which allows foreigners who are married to Indonesians, and their dependents, to enter the country. A summary of the discussion can be found here.
LABOR LAW UPDATE: Since it was passed with such haste and with little public review, details of what is contained in the 905-page law are only now starting to be known. While Bali did not have a repeat of Thursday’s large protests, thanks to labor groups hanging back and students organizing a small event in Buleleng, unions let it be known that they are vehemently opposed to the law. Also, a noted anthropologist who studies Balinese culture disputed the Police Chief’s claim yesterday that Balinese people could not be so angry and drawn to violence over the bill. Things were not calm elsewhere around the country on Friday. In Jakarta, where thousands were arrested and over 100 injuries were reported, the city government said that protesters caused Rp. 55 billion in damage to bus stops, a government building, police outposts, and even an abandoned movie theater. 34 demonstrators who were arrested tested positive for Covid-19, causing the Indonesian Medical Association to warn of new outbreaks and clusters around the protests. Meanwhile, Coordinating Legal, Political and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD vowed to take "firm action" against demonstrators, as one reporter was allegedly beaten by police while covering the protests and another has gone missing. President Widodo searched for a way to calm things by promising a three-month window before his administration would start enforcing the new law and urging labor and environmental groups to challenge the law in court, saying that judges would be “neutral.” At the same time, Head of the Investment Coordination Board, Bahlil Lahadalia, bragged that 153 companies have already said that they would invest in new ventures in the country thanks to the law.
"Fatalitity Rate Reaches 3.22%, Bali is Expected to Be Able to Reduce Covid-19 Deaths" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): Most of these deaths were in Karangasem (5.53%) and followed by Buleleng (4.68%), Tabanan (4.39%), Gianyar (4.21%), Bangli and Denpasar (2.31%). Jembrana (2.05%) and Klungkung (1.40%). Spokesperson the island's Covid-19 Task Force, Wiku Adisasmito, said that he suspected that many cases of death occurred in the easternmost regency of the Island of the Gods because health facilities and health personnel were not as good as in other districts. Wiku asked the leaders in Bali to immediately make efforts to cure Covid-19 patients who were still active and not to let anyone die. "So handling it very carefully, this will be able to encourage higher healing," explained Wiku.
(Ed. Note: Confirmed deaths from Covid-19 have been on the rise since mid-August. There have been deaths recorded for 38 straight days- every day since August 24. The fatality rate has almost doubled since then, when it was at 1.15%, with more than one death recorded every day except for August 24 & 25. Ten or more deaths were recorded on six days during that span. This trend has continued even after the regent of Gianyar Regency said last week that it would no longer test the bodies of people who died before they had been tested, even if they were suspected of being infected, thereby potentially reducing the number of fatalities assigned to the virus.)
>> Classifieds <<
AMERICANS ABROAD - CAST YOUR VOTE FOR THE NOVEMBER ELECTION! We are 5 volunteers helping Americans vote from here since 2002. Due to mail delays you NEED TO START NOW, so CLICK HERE. And yes, we provide individual help too. Please VOTE; it’s so important this year!
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Other Headlines
"20% of Balinese People Believe They Are Impossible to be Exposed to Covid" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): While reporting the results of a government survey, Head of the BNPB, Lieutenant General Doni Monardo, said that "in Bali, 20.78% of the population feels that it is impossible to be exposed." According to him, the socialization of the health protocol discipline is an urgent matter that must be the priority of every regional head, either through mass media or social media... "The Task Force itself has collaborated with the Press Council and a number of media to support and fill in programs related to changes in people's behavior. Delivering information with local wisdom, using local languages is equally important because once again a lack of understanding will be dangerous, about what is new normal, what is social distancing, and so on," he said.
"Former Covid-19 Patients in Buleleng Still Haunted by Discrimination" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): Secretary of the Buleleng Covid-19 Handling Task Force, Gede Suyasa, revealed that the public must continue to improve their understanding of the Covid-19 disease. With the higher level of understanding, the potential for discriminatory acts should decrease. "The public must understand. If he is not in good health, it is impossible to be given home from the hospital. If you are allowed to go home from the hospital, that means healthy. Moreover, a Covid-free certificate from the doctor in charge of the patient has been given. This must be understood, so that it doesn't happen again," said Suyasa.
"Running Out of Provisions, Foreigners in Legian, Bali Helped During Hungry Stomach Raids" from iNews Bali (Indonesian): Several foreigners who were detained in Bali during the Covid-19 pandemic almost ran out of supplies. One of them is Hobbert, a Dutch citizen who was caught raid on a hungry stomach in Legian, Badung, Bali, Friday. Hobbert knew from the beginning that there were raids on hungry stomachs carried out by volunteers by distributing free food. But the middle-aged man looked embarrassed to approach. A volunteer then came to him and gave him a pack of food and a mask. According to Wayan Puspanegara, Chairman of LPM Legian, almost every day there are foreigners caught by raids on hungry stomachs in the Legian area. In general, they have financial difficulties because they have been living in Bali for months due to the pandemic.
"One Shipwreck Victim Found in Uluwatu After Three Days of Floating" from The IDN Times (Indonesian): The search for survivors from the KM Tanjung Permai, which was reported missing on Tuesday, has finally born fruit. One of the 12 missing crew members was found safe, floating in the waters near Uluwatu, Badung. A search for the 11 remaining crew members (ABK) is ongoing... "Based on the victim's statement, on October 5, 2020 at around 22.00 WITA, the ship began to sink due to high waves and sank the ship in the waters near Uluwatu about 17 Nm from the port of Benoa," explained Gede Darmada, Head of the Denpasar Search and Relief Office. The victim survived by clinging to floating objects.
"Man from Gianyar Blackmails Ex-girlfriend, Threatening to Spread Intimate Videos" from The Bali Tribune (Indonesian): The Bali Police Ditreskrimsus Cyber ??Crime Team found nasty videos on the cellphone and laptop of a man who was threatening to spread slander and defamation on social media. The perpetrator with the initials KM AB from Gianyar, Bali, also had time to extort the victim of Rp. 10 million if you don't want the video to be shared... "The person concerned also threatened and blackmailed the victim, the video will be distributed if the victim does not give Rp. 10 million," said Head of Sub-Directorate V Cyber ??Crime of the Bali Regional Police, AKBP Gusti Ayu Putu Ayu Suinaci said. Photos and videos of intimate scenes found by investigators on the perpetrator's laptop and cellphone were recorded in 2018, at which time the victim was still immature.
"Two Turkish Men Suspected of Raping Young Woman in Bali Have Not Been Detained" from Radar Bali (Indonesian): The Bali Police is still investigating reports of alleged rape with the female victim with the initials TNL. The 24-year-old woman from Cibinong, Bogor, West Java, was allegedly raped by a man who claimed to be a journalist from Turkey with the initials SU and his unknown partner. "Yesterday afternoon, (Thursday, 8/10) we accompanied BAP of victims with 25 questions. But there are still shortcomings. The client's condition is still traumatized, so yesterday it was stopped," said Reidy Nobel, the victim's attorney... "There are no suspects yet. Only one (reported) has been questioned. Due to the translation problem the reported party asked for a Turkish translator," he added. "Yesterday, the investigator said that he guaranteed that he would not run away because he had written to immigration to block the passport and the suspect's passport had been secured and was obliged to report," he concluded.
"On Vacation to Bali With Cocaine, Russian Foreigner Sentenced to 4.5 Years in Prison and A Fine of IDR 800 million" from iNews Bali (Indonesian): Russian citizen Kseniia Chornei was sentenced to four years and six months in prison after being found guilty of having cocaine while on vacation in Bali. This verdict was lower than the demands of the public prosecutor who demanded 8 years imprisonment and a fine of Rp. 800 million. The defendant was arrested by the police on March 27, 2020 at her place of stay, a villa in Kuta, Badung, Bali. A search inside the villa found 0.79 grams of cocaine, nine packages of hashish in the form of paste weighing 42.84 grams.
How You Can Help
In response to the collapse of the tourism sector in Bali and the resulting economic crisis, dozens of individuals and organizations have sprung into action, raising funds and distributing badly needed food and everyday essentials to the innumerable families who have suddenly found themselves without any source of income. We've been making an effort to document and raise awareness of these efforts. We will add information on projects in this space as we are able to confirm them. If you'd like to see a list of the efforts that we've featured so far and contribute to them with either time or money, visit our complete list here. You can also see a list of projects that have registered themselves at BaliSolidarity.org. If you know of an effort and would like to have them listed, please send their information to newsletter@migrationmedia.net.
About This Newsletter
This newsletter is a product of Migration Media, the hub for stories from and about the international migrant experience.
Our standards
We only include news items from established media sources
We do not share rumors.
We do not include opinion pieces or forecasts.
For all stories marked "Indonesian" I have used Google Translate to convert it from Bahasa. In most cases I try to polish the excerpt and/or write a short summary in proper English to help clarify the details.
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