Huge Bali truth every Aussie must know
The island paradise beloved by Aussies has been struck by a grisly list of gruesome cases in recent months, sparking safety fears. Bali’s image has suffered a brutal blow in recent months following a string of high profile violent attacks involving foreign alleged perpetrators and victims.
The grisly list of gruesome cases includes kidnapping, torture, premeditated murder and organised crime, as well as foreign fugitives trying to abscond to the iconic Indonesian island, prompting concerns that the nation is soft on crime and that Bali is becoming increasingly dangerous.
However, in mid-April, police spokesperson Ariasandy, who like many Indonesians uses a single name, rebuffed the idea that beautiful Bali – a favourite destination for Australian travellers – has become the target of international criminal groups. “We cannot say it is a mafia hide-out.
Bali is a world tourism destination open to everyone, domestic and foreign,” he said. “We cannot say organised crime is targeting Bali.
These cases are initially triggered by problems in their home countries.” Just some of the most concerning recent cases include that of Ukrainian Igor Komarov, who was kidnapped on February 15 by a gang of foreign nationals while driving a scooter in the popular seaside hangout Jimbaran, with footage quickly circulating on social media showing him covered in blood with two black eyes.
In the footage, Mr Komarov begged for help from his family and suggested that his kidnappers had asked for a $US10 million ($13 million) ransom. On February 27, body parts were found in a state of advanced decomposition on a beach in the Sukawati district, and were found to belong to the Ukrainian following DNA testing.
The police said that six foreign nationals were involved in the suspected kidnapping and murder, with four believed to have left Indonesia and two still at large. On March 23, Dutch national Rene Pouw was stabbed to death in night life hotspot Kuta after walking at night with his Indonesian girlfriend.
According to police, two Brazilian nationals have been named as suspects and are thought to have fled Indonesia. Interpol Red Notices – worldwide requests for law enforcement to locate and provisionally arrest an individual pending extradition or other legal action – have been sought by the Indonesian police for the arrest of Mr Pouw’s alleged killers.
In addition to the recent cases of Pouw and Komarov, Bali was also rocked by the premeditated murder and shooting of Australian father Zivan Radmanovic last year when the villa where he was staying with his wife was stormed by two men. Fellow Australians Mevlut Coskun, Paea I Middlemore Tupou and Darcy Jenson all fled the island following the bloody murder, however, the trio were swiftly apprehended.
Jenson was caught while trying to leave Indonesia through Jakarta’s International Airport, while Coskun and Tupou were found in Singapore and Cambodia after Indonesian police co-ordinated closely with Interpol.
In early March this year, Coskun and Tupou were found guilty by the Bali District Court of premeditated murder as well as possession of a firearm, and sentenced to 16 years behind Jenson received a 12-year sentence after being found guilty of assisting premeditated murder.
They claimed they were sent to Bali to collect a debt for a man in Australia, who they refused to identify. Interpol Red Notices have also been used in Indonesia to prevent undesirable visitors from entering the country and return them to face the law elsewhere.
On March 28, Steven Lyons, a high-profile Scottish gangland figure, was arrested when he tried to enter Bali via its I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport. Bali police boss Daniel Adityajaya told media at the time that Lyons was alleged to be the leader of “a large-scale transnational criminal organisation engaged in drug trafficking and money laundering”.
He has since been deported to Amsterdam and is expected to be extradited to Spain to face charge…