Canggu Weekly NO 310 Jan 2023

CANGGUWEEKLY

TheWeeklyNewsMagazineForCanggu&Surroundings

emergencyandlogisticdivision oftheRegionalDisaster MitigationAgency(BPBD)in WestSumbawa,confrmedthat histeam,togetherwiththe ArmedForces(TNI),Police, andmembersofthelocal community,hadmanagedto evacuatethewoman’sremains toalocalhospitalforforensic examination.

intheGili’s,nearnorthwest Lombok,wasnotyetpossible. “Wearestillinvestigatingthe identifcationofthehuman remainsandthelocationwhere itwasfound,”heexplained.

Thebadlydecomposedbodyof aCaucasianwomanwasfound onWednesdaymorning,04 January2023,ontheshoreline atBonePuteh,intheVillageof LabuhanKertasariinthe TaliwangDistrictofEast Sumbawa.

AsreportedbyBeritabali.com,

policehavetentativelyidentifed thecorpseasaFrenchwoman, LydieAnnieMauricette(50),who drownedonSunday,18 December2022,whiletryingto swimfromGiliTrawangantoGili MenointheLombokStraits betweenLombokandBali.

Amrulla,theheadofthe

Thebody’sdiscoveryand recoverywasdonebythe SearchandRescue(SAR) MataramPostinSumbawa.

TheheadoftheWest SumbawaPolicePrecinct, AKBPHeruMuslim,on Wednesday,04January2023, saidafnalabsolute determinationthatthecorpseis theFrenchtouristwhodrowned

Ifthebodyispositivelyidentifed asthatofLydieAnnie Mauricette,thiswillmeanthatfor 17dayssincegoingmissing,the womandriftedaroundtheentire northshoreofLombokand enteredtheAlasStraitsbetween EastLombokandWest Sumbawabeforewashing ashore–coveringadistanceof some140kilometers.

Thebodywasbroughttothe RSUDASYSIFAinSumbawafor anautopsy.

(Balidiscovery.com)

TheStateNewsAgencyAntara andBalimediaoutletsare awashwiththenewsofthe captureandevacuationofa3meter-longcrocodileonLegian Beachmid-dayonWednesday, 04January2023.

TheChief(Lurah)oftheLegian Community,NiPutuEkaMartini, commented:“Atthistime,the crocodilehasbeenevacuated byateamfromtheAgencyfor theConservationofNatural Resources–Bali(BKSDA-Bali). LegianBeachisnowsafeand secureandcanbevisitedby internationalanddomestic tourists.”

Shesaidthecrocodilewas initiallyspottedbyanon-duty memberofBali’sLifeguard Brigade(Balawista).Toprotect swimmersandthelocal population,lifeguardsworking withlocalcommunitymembers tooktheinitiativeofevacuating thegiantreptileusingmakeshift toolsavailableonsite.

BKSDABalihasconfrmedthat thecrocodilecapturedand evacuatedfromLegianBeach hasbeenthesubjectofathreeyear-longsearch.Thelastreport

Indonesia’sTourismand

CreativeEconomyMinister SandiagaUnohaswarned airlinestocomplywithfight regulationsafterafascolast weekthatsawaBali-bound JetstarAirwaysfightforcedto

ofasightingofthecrocodilewas onMertasariBeach–alocation ontheoppositeeasternshoreof SouthBali.Theidentifcationof thecrocodileasthesame animalcapturedoffLegian Beachwasconfrmedbythe presenceofamatchinghead woundscar.

Beforeitscaptureon Wednesday,MogikPyantara,a lifeguardassignedtotheLegian BeachLifeguardStation, explainedthatthecrocodilewas initiallythoughttobeafotsam logshiftingtotheshoreline carriedbyseacurrents.Closer observationidentifedthe“log” asaliving,movingcrocodile.At thispoint,aninitiativewas launchedtocaptureandisolate theanimal.

Pyantaracommentedthatthe captureprocesswas complicatedbecausenoone hadanypracticalexperiencein handlingadangerouscrocodile andthelimitationsofworking withmakeshiftpiecesofwood andropestosnarethelarge reptile.Afurthercomplicationto capturingthecrocodilewasthat theshorelineandadjoining waterswereflledwith

swimmersandsurfers.

Followingthecapture,offcials fromBKSDA-Baliarecallingon thepublicandwatersports operatorstobeonthelookout foradditionalestuariansaltwater crocodiles(Crocodylusporosus) intheLegianBeacharea.

Offcialreportthisisthefrsttime acrocodilehasbeenspotted andcapturedoffBali’swaters.

ThechiefofBKSDA-Bali,R. BagusBudiSantoso,confrmed therescueandevacuationofan estuariansaltwatercrocodileby lifeguardsworkingonLegian Beachatabout3:30pmandits subsequentremovaltoasecure conservationareaforcrocodiles inTabanan.

Noonesufferedanyinjuryinthe captureandrelocationprocess. Thecrocodilecapturedon LegianBeachhasbeen identifedasamale,measuring 3metersinlength,withan estimatedageof4-5years. Offcialtheorizethereptilemay haveoriginatedfromthenearby NgurahRaiMangrove ConservationReserve.Offcials

cannotconfrmifthecrocodileis areptileendemictotheareaor possiblyapetabandonedinthe ocean.

CrocodilesinIndonesia

Offcialsassurethepublicthat thereshouldbenofearforthose desiringtoswimorsurfoff LegianBeach.

SaltWaterCrocodilesexistin manyareasofIndonesia, includingthecoastalregionsof EastNusaTenggara.Crocodile sightingsinBaliare,however, veryrare.

Saltwatercrocodileshavea widegeographicalrange.For instance,anincreasein crocodilepopulationsinTimorLeste(EastTimor)andgrowing reportsoffatalattackson coastalfshermenarelinkedto themigrationofthereptilesfrom northernAustraliatoTimorLeste,wherelocalsarereluctant toculltheanimalswidely consideredmythologicaldeities.

(Balidiscovery.com)

Pleasedon’tbelikeAustralia’sJetstar,IndonesianministertellsairlinesfollowingBalifasco

Indonesian‘islandauction’togoaheaddespiteconcernsoverpermits

Sharesofaprivatecompany withtherightstodeveloptourism facilitiesinsideamarinereserve inIndonesiahavereappeared forauctionlaterthismonth despitethegovernment’splanto annulakeyagreementwiththe frm.

DeveloperPTLeadership IslandsIndonesia(LII)isputting upitssharesforbiddingvia Sotheby’sConciergeAuctionsin NewYorkfromJan.24-30inan efforttobringininternational investorstofnanceitsplansto developaneco-resortintheWidi Islands,ineasternIndonesia’s NorthMalukuprovince.The onlineauctionhadinitiallybeen plannedforDec.8-14,2022,but theIndonesiangovernment nippedthatinthebudfollowing mountingconcernsthatthe islandswerebeingbundledoffto foreignprivateowners,indirect violationofIndonesianlaws.The governmentalsocitedtheBalibaseddeveloper’sfailureto obtainthepermitrequiredto ensurethatdevelopmentinthe islandscomplieswithprevailing zoningplansandguarantees economicandecological benefts.

Thegovernmentalsoplansto revokeLII’s2015memorandum ofunderstandingwithlocal authoritiesthatwouldallowthe companytobuildaneco-resort andluxuryresidentialproperties intheWidiIslands.The agreementincludedtherightsto developtheareafor35years withapossibleextensionof another20years.

“Upuntilnow,thegovernment,in thiscasetheMinistryofMarine AffairsandFisheries,hasnot beeninformedaboutPTLII’s plantoputbackupitssharesfor auctiononJan.24-30todevelop

aresortintheWidiIslands ProtectedForestArea,”Victor GustaafManoppo,theministry’s director-generalofmarine zoning,toldMongabayina statementreceivedDec.31, 2022.

VictornotedthatLIIstillhasn’t submittedanyapplicationto obtainthepermitandthatdue tothearea’sprotectedforest status,thecompanyisalso

1%oftheprotectedrainforest and0.005%oftheentire reserve,withzonerestrictions fortouristsandalimitonvisitor numbers.

Thecompanytoldlocalnews mediathatitwasnotauctioning offtheislands,onlylookingfor investors.Indonesia’shome affairsminister,TitoKarnavian, saidthedeveloperhadbeen givensevenyearstostart

Thecompany’splanhasmet mountingconcernsinIndonesia, withexpertssayingitwouldbe essentiallysellingtheislandsoff toforeigners.Privatizingthe islands,eventheuninhabited ones,couldcutofflocalfshing communitiesfromkeyfshing groundswithsocialandcultural importance,impactingtheirlives andlivelihoods.

NorthMaluku,anarchipelagic provinceinIndonesia’seast,is madeupof395islands,only64 ofwhichareinhabited.Experts saytheseislandsshouldn’tbe writtenoffas“desertislands” thatcanbesoldofffor development,giventhatfshers dependonthemfortheir livelihood.

requiredtoobtainaseparate permit,knownasa developmentlease,fromthe MinistryofEnvironmentand Forestry.Mongabayreachedout totheforestryministryfor commentonthematterbutdid notreceivearesponseasofthe timethisstorywaspublished. Thedeputyforestryminister, AlueDohong,onDec.6told localTVnewsthatthe governmenthadannulledthe initialplantoauctionoffshares.

TheWidiIslandsarepartofa marinereserveinsidethe PacifcCoralTriangle,aregion that’shometothehighest diversityofcoralsandreef fshesontheplanet.LIIis planningtodeveloplessthan

construction,butanapparent lackoffundsseemedtohave promptedittoauctionoffshares inanefforttoraisemoney.Tito saidforeigninvestmentwould beallowedaslongasthe developercontinuedtobe legallybasedinIndonesia.

MongabayIndonesiavisitedthe WidiIslandsinMay2022and spoketolocalfshersaboutthe plannedtourismdevelopment. There’sbeenhardlyany progressinthepastcoupleof years,thefsherssaid,besides afewgazebosandawooden jettybuiltforaninternational fshingtournament.Atthetime ofthevisit,thesefacilities appearedtobeunmaintained anddeteriorating.

TheWidiIslandsarepeppered across10,000hectares(24,700 acres)ofthewesternPacifc, andhaveacombinedcoastline ofabout150kilometers(93 miles).Themarinereserveof whichtheislandsareapart spanssome300,000hectares (741,000acres),withnearly 6,000hectares(14,800acres)of coralreef,85hectares(210 acres)ofmangroves,and almost3,000hectares(7,400 acres)ofseagrassbeds.The reserveishometoarich diversityofmarinelife,including severalthreatenedspecies.

“We’reaskingPTLIItoobtain thepermitstodevelopsmall islandsandsurroundingwaters asrequiredbytheregulations andlaws,”Victorsaid.

BastenGokkonisaseniorstaff writerforIndonesiaat Mongabay.

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