FreoGirl
Posted by Dasha originally in another thread:Freo - have been following this thread on LL for some time and not said a word as I have mixed feelings on this topic and wondering if your recent travels have enabled you to discover any truth in the military moving in and doing a job on these locals similar to the Warangs on Kuta in 98. I am also wondering just how many similar scenarios exist in Bali and just how come some regions/precincts get away with it and some don't. Pulled a few posts to refresh your memory. Post 1Since last year there has been rumoures going around that all the beach side restaurants from Villa Ombak all the way to the jetty has to go down. This is not a rumour any more, if they haven't been taken down volontarily come april the government will send in troops to demolish them. All the restaurants has been built illegaly, there has been a ban since the 80's for building closer than 50 meters from the shore. This has been ignored completely and now the government is showing muscles. The owners, mainly westerners has put them self above the ban and never expected the government to act. We who have connections with the island has been waiting for this to happend and always thought that what's happening to Trawangan down in the "sentral" isn't very good.The whole island is in turmoil over this, many locals will loose their jobs, estimated 150 persons. Much money has been put into the restaurants for ex. Tir'na'Noc, The Beach House, all the dive centers have restaurants on the beach side as well. This will not be a peaceful event when the troops come to Trawangan and much violence can be expected. One can only hope for a solution to be reached before april but so far it seems fruitless. AnitaPost 2 An alternative viewWhen I first went to Gili T in 1994 there was fine sandy beach south of the dock, great place to hang out and sunbathe and snorkle a catch a ride on the strong offshore currents. Couldn't believe that this beach had been built over on my return 12 years later. What a mess - a line of bars and restaurants sprawling along a once-fine bay, some very tacky. The business people who have built over the shoreline here have no legal right to do so.Post 3 Where Damsiah's cottages were that were pulled down is pretty much where Villa Ombak is now. Personally I agree that overdevelopment is not good, but what should happen is if something is built illegally it should be stopped before it's even built. As to the 50m set back rule, I was wondering what would happen if they applied that in Mangsit. The beach there has been eroded over the last 10 years so that now one end has no beach at all. The reef that protected the beach was damaged in storms, and by dynamite fishing, the hotels built sea walls which added to the erosion, and now the beach is gone. The hotels used to be set back from the beach, but now the water comes right up to the wall. What do they do? Post 4Gili Trawangan has been taken over by mainly foreign investors who have demonstrated a knack for neo-colonialism. Land prices have been driven skyward and the real benefits have been accorded the investors- not the indigenous people. I wonder how many of the 150 jobs that might be lost belong to Trawangans themselves?Are these foreign investors really doing anything for the Trawangans aside from providing for a few jobs that are paid a pittance? For all their profits are they giving back anything of real, forward looking importance? They are more intent on creating a safe-haven for illegal drug sales to entice young tourists than say, for instance, helping to establish schools beyond the level of SD (terminating at grade 6) for the island's children.I wouldn't cry for those who have broken the zoning laws. If you take such risks, then the consequences have to be faced. Corruption will buy off a lot of people in Indonesia, and certainly the local authorities in Trawangan have benefited greatly from their sweetheart arrangements with the island's tourist infrastructure. But even in Indonesia, the rule of law will come down on you past a certain point.I tend to agree with post 4 (and part of post 3) but often wonder how the buildings/compounds get erected in the first place. Oh and I always thought there was a 100m rule.Any thoughts?
FreoGirl
The thread Dasha is referring to has been running on a Lombok forum for some time. Essentially it is discussing a Lombok authority's announcement a while back that it was going to start pulling down some of the buildings on Gili Trawangan that it claimed were built illegally.That situation has been resolved for now, with the authorities reversing their decision. A fair bit of pressure was brought to bear I imagine by some wealthy investors.How come the buildings were there in the first place? I have no direct knowledge. It makes me wonder how come Villa Ombak can exist but the place in the same spot back in the 80's was pulled down along with other less upmarket buildings.It also makes me wonder how many other places this sort of situation could happen, and how it could occur in the first place.It would seem to the casual observer that development in tourist areas in Bali and Lombok is pretty uncontrolled. Some rules might exist, such as the 100m setback rule from the tide mark, but often are ignored or got around with under the table payments. The environmental impact of over-development is a real worry. Actually the environmental impact of tourist developments are a real worry. I can think of several examples in Lombok where irreversable damage has occurred essentially ruining a place for tourists and the locals who often end up losing their livelihoods (fishermen losing fishing grounds, losing the beaches where they keep their boats, etc)My assumption I suppose is that it happens through a combination of ignorance and corruption. Am I right?
