In Reply to: Please read my post below from posted by Putu_Les on Thursday, 21. January 2010 at 10:16 Bali Time:
Les,
I don't think the subject of travel warnings is as simple and clear cut as you seem to imply. It is true that the Bali Hotels Association has issued an explanation as to what they perceive as being pertinent but their explanation is almost, if not entirely, word for word of that issued by DFAT and should not be considered as having any relationship with terrorist warnings. In deed it is even in a separate section of the advisory and is simply there to warn Australians, and any other traveller who cares to look, of the degree of inconvenience that can be encountered on that day. Warnings for all other areas may not have changed but they are still considered to be of such significance that the Australian Government continues to see it as important that our traveling citizens are kept aware of the perceived situation. This is nothing more than a duty of care that should be done if there is any concern at all. To just ignore issuing a warning in such circumstances would simply be an act of gross irresponsibility.
A lot of other responses on this thread seem to imply that there is a media conspiracy in operation to denigrate travel to Bali and all things Balinese by printing or broadcasting all of the negative aspects of Bali that they can lay their hands on. I would suggest that this is not evenly remotely close to the facts and that, indeed, there has been a lot of positive feedback on Bali in recent times. I personally have seen nothing that I would consider to be deliberately false information being put out by the media and I know nothing of any negative effects on the Balinese or their economy caused directly, or indirectly, by Australian Travel Advisories or by the pleading of Australian relatives for their Kin not to travel to Bali because of the assumed dangers ( I will let you know in March after my next trip).
I think that this thread, although fascinating to read and generating a lot of comment, is a bit of a storm in a teacup and is generating the same sort of "beatup" of the Australian Press and DFAT as many of the authors are claiming is being done against Bali and the Balinese.
Cheers and take care
Maverick