For a few days now I have received heaps of emails posing the one question regarding the safety issue in Bali. This has occurred ever since the announcement of the upcoming executions of the Bali Bombers. It has not only been emails, also on the Baliblog Forum and in general, people intending on travelling to the archipelago. One person in particular wrote an email that seems to sum up what is in most people’s minds. He had spent a lot of money in airfare and hotel costs as well as the accompanying costs to the tune of $3,000 and naturally he was concerned if his money would end up down the drain, so to speak, if anything unfortunate occurred. The heightened terrorist warnings by most governments seem to be deterring a lot of people from travelling to the paradise island, but, are these warnings solid.
Most governments in the world release travel warnings as a guideline for travellers. In my opinion they are only covering their backsides in case something does goes wrong. A lot of people believe that there there will be some kind of disruption after the execution of the Bali Bombers. This could be in the form of heated demonstrations or unruly behaviour. However, and this is my opinion only, the travel warnings issued are way over the top and should be less threatening to the reader. Obviously the island of Bali is the centre of discussion regarding safety issues there. So, I will look at it from my point of view. Does the heightened terrorist warning stop me from going? Certainly not. Indonesian security forces have been strengthened on the island of Bali, in fact, the forces have doubled.
My advice, and the advice I have been giving to everyone that has asked me this week so far, is to be aware of your surroundings, veer away from large crowds and use common sense in whatever you do or where you go.
