Government Assures Safety Of Bali Tourists

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - The Indonesian government has assured that Bali remains safe for tourists, although the alert status for Mount Agung has been raised to Watch Level since early this week.

"We need to stress that there are no problems related to tourism. We have adopted the strategy on how to deal with a wider impact on transportation. Everything is safe as not all villages or areas are affected," Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Puan Maharani, stated at the Presidential Office here on Thursday.

She held a press conference after a limited meeting led by President Joko Widodo to discuss efforts to anticipate the increased activity of Mount Agung in Bali and the latest developments of Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra.

Till now, only several villages in Karangasem district, Bali, are affected by the eruption of Mount Agung, Maharani noted.

She remarked that she has instructed all stakeholders, including all related ministries and non-ministerial government institutions, namely the National Disaster Mitigation Board (BNPB), the Social Service Ministry, the Health Ministry, the Public Works and People's Housing Ministry, and the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, to make mitigation efforts as soon as possible.    
  
The alert status for Mount Agung was raised to Watch, or Level IV, on Sept 22, following increased seismic activity.

Indonesia's Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) has appealed to tourists and residents to avoid any activity near the crater of Mount Agung and northward, northeastward, southeastward, and south-southwestward areas within a 12-kilometer radius of its peak, increasing the area from 6 kilometers, as announced earlier. (WDY)