Home Australia Violence erupts in streets of Bali as police boot foreign troublemakers from notorious ex-pat village Parq Ubud

Violence erupts in streets of Bali as police boot foreign troublemakers from notorious ex-pat village Parq Ubud

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Balinese police escort foreign nationals from the famous 'Russian Village' resort in the once peaceful mountain town of Ubud.

Fierce clashes broke out on the streets of Bali’s hedonistic hotspot Ubud after police closed a notorious resort catering to Russian expatriates fleeing the Ukraine war and the threat of conscription.

Hundreds of officers arrived on Monday at Ubud Park, which has long-term accommodation, a number of bars and restaurants, a wellness centre, gym and co-working facilities, and expelled all foreign residents from the site.

The harsh crackdown came after the owners of the complex, which locals derisively refer to as “Russian Village”, were accused of repeatedly flouting local development restrictions.

Footage of the encounter, which has since gone viral on social media, showed residents clashing with both police and locals as they were escorted out of the premises under armed guard.

Balinese locals celebrated the move on social media, claiming that the mostly Russian residents of the expat shelter had been running amok in the once peaceful mountain village since they took over the city.

The resort has earned a slanderous reputation as the resort island struggles to deal with a growing number of foreign enclaves popping up around the tourist hotspot.

Many of the village’s residents were said to be long-term residents of Bali who were prohibited from purchasing local property by the island’s strict foreign investment provisions.

The self-proclaimed “city of the future” has billed itself as “a global creative city for entrepreneurs, artists and investors” and has boasted a range of high-end apartment options for expatriots.

Balinese police escort foreign nationals from the famous ‘Russian Village’ resort in the once peaceful mountain town of Ubud.

The

The autonomous “city of the future” primarily catered to Russian expatriates and offered long-term accommodation, bars and restaurants, a gym and co-working spaces.

The resort has earned a slanderous reputation as the resort island struggles to deal with a growing number of foreign enclaves popping up around the tourist hotspot.

The resort has earned a slanderous reputation as the resort island struggles to deal with a growing number of foreign enclaves popping up around the tourist hotspot.

Parq Ubud resort has idyllic pools

Parq Ubud resort has idyllic pools

“The futuristic idea of ​​a place where people with common values ​​and interests gather came to life at Parq Ubud,” the resort’s owners boasted on their official website.

‘This community embodies the idea of ​​a city of the future, where everyone can live among like-minded people.

‘If you have a powerful creative energy, if you like to make the world a better place, you can join our team. Leave a request and we will contact you.’

Balinese locals took to social media to celebrate the venue’s closure this week.

‘Good news…they have no respect for Balinese culture, nature or the island. It is time for Bali to belong to the Balinese again and have proper tourism and expatriate management. “Bali should live forever,” one person said.

Another added: ‘Fantastic. “Bali needs to reclaim its identity and demand respect.”

Bali Tourism Agency head Tjok Bagus Pemayun said authorities had no choice but to close Parq Ubud after it violated planning rules.

The provisions are designed to protect the island’s traditional architecture and shrinking rice terraces from aggressive overdevelopment.

The sight of the fierce fight between police and residents at the complex went viral this week.

The sight of the fierce fight between police and residents at the complex went viral this week.

The photo shows one of the rooms within the complex.

The photo shows one of the rooms within the complex.

‘They need to follow local regulations. Even the guidelines on do’s and don’ts should be fully implemented, such as respecting local culture, etc.,” Mr. Pemayun said. The Australian.

‘Whoever owns it, they have to follow the rules. Whether a local or a foreigner.’

Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association spokesman Rai Suryawijaya said Russians are increasingly moving to Bali as a result of “the less productive situation in their own country.”

‘That’s why there are so many of these Russian villages and similar developments happening. Looking ahead, we must be cautious,” he said.

Russia’s new ambassador to Jakarta, Sergei Tolchenov, defended the country’s roughly 40,000 citizens who called the resort island home last August, maintaining that they were as well-behaved as any other nationality.

“I don’t believe people who accuse Russian tourists of being the worst among foreign visitors who do not obey local laws and customs in Bali,” Mr Tolchenov told The Australian.

“I am sure that it is not only Russians who commit crimes.”

Simmering tensions between local Balinese residents and an influx of Russian residents come after the island was ranked first on a list of destinations to avoid exaggerated claims that its natural beauty has been eroded by tourism.

Ubud Park was promoted as

Parq Ubud was promoted as “a global creative city for entrepreneurs, artists and investors” before authorities closed it for violating local development regulations.

Fodors magazines placed the idyllic Indonesian island on its 2025 ‘Banned List’ alongside 15 other destinations including Barcelona, ​​Venice, Koh Samui and Mount Everest.

The travel site’s annual list highlights tourist destinations deemed “suffering from unsustainable popularity.”

The editors said the natural environment and the tourism industry are intertwined in the tropical enclave and that the large number of visitors threatens to degrade both.

“Rapid and unbridled development driven by overtourism is encroaching on Bali’s natural habitats, eroding its environmental and cultural heritage and creating a ‘plastic apocalypse,'” Fodors said.

“Once pristine beaches such as Kuta and Seminyak are now buried under piles of rubbish, and local waste management systems are struggling to keep up.”

The Central Statistics Office of Bali province noted that some 3.5 million foreigners had already visited the island in the first seven months of 2024.

The magazine said the strong number of tourists after the pandemic intensified “tension on the island.”

Local media suggested that the south-central part of the island suffered the most, with a high concentration of resorts, traffic, development and waste and water management issues plaguing the area.

1737617404 393 Violence erupts in streets of Bali as police boot foreign

Bali’s natural serenity is threatened by a wave of detractors brought by international tourism, magazine warns

Bali Tourism Board president Ida Bagus Agung Partha Adnyana said the problem was not the total number of visitors.

“The problem is not the number of tourists in general, but the concentration of tourism in certain areas, especially in southern Bali,” he told the Bali Sun.

‘This means that other areas of Bali that are truly rich in culture and natural beauty do not receive the same attention, either from tourists or tourism managers.

“Bali does not deserve to be considered a destination to avoid in 2025 because the problem we face has more to do with the concentration of tourism in southern Bali, not overtourism as a whole.”

Indonesian Hotel Association (PHRI) vice president I Gusti Ngurah Rai Suryawijaya said Bali needs to be re-evaluated.

“This is a warning to Bali itself: Bali must stop being tired of preserving its natural culture and environment,” he said.

The magazine clarified that certain destinations had not earned their place because they were disappointing.

Instead, they were selected for facing a series of existential risks posed by international tourism.

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