Indonesia Expat
Outreach

Bali in Drug State Emergency Says Governor

Bali is in the grip of a drug crisis verging on a drug state emergency with drug abuse cases reaching 62,457 last year, Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika said Monday, Aug. 7.

Pastika expects the number of cases to be far higher.

“That number is what’s recorded, just the tip of the iceberg. The actual amount is a lot, it could be three to four times more,” he said, as reported by Antara Bali.

He pointed to a steady increase year-on-year, with 61,353 cases recorded in 2015, as evidence of the ‘state of emergency.’

Pastika announced the government would expand efforts to ‘facilitate drug abuse prevention’ and funding to the National Narcotics Agency (BNNP) Bali office.

“BNNP really needs support … so we have to create a legal umbrella so we can help them with their regional revenue budget,” he said.

Bali is often seen as a hotspot for drug crime on the fringes of the booming tourism industry, with some of the country’s most high-profile drug crimes occurring there, including the arrests of the Bali Nine smugglers and Australian national Schapelle Corby.

 

See: Bye, Schapelle: Tense Farewell Tipped For Drug Convict

Related posts

Volunteering in Indonesia

Julia Tchezganova

Sign Language and Speaking with Hearing Problems

Indonesia Expat

What to Wear and What Not to Wear in Indonesia

Richard Horstman

The Role of Contemporary Art Museums in Indonesian Society

Caranissa Djatmiko

5.9 Tons of Wasted Collected from Ciliwung and Citarum

Indonesia Expat

Nyoman Jiwa, The Woodcarver

David Metcalf