Bali Governor Bans Inhumane Handling of Residents at Former Nakula Fire Site

Bali Governor Wayan Koster has told local officials not to handle residents at the former Jalan Nakula fire site in Denpasar in an inhumane way. Any clearance and relocation effort, he said, must begin with a practical solution for the people being moved.

“Take it slowly because this concerns people, so make sure we do not take inhumane action,” Koster said in Denpasar on Monday. “If we are going to move them like this, prepare the place first, handle it and resolve it first.”

A major fire swept through about four hectares on Jalan Nakula last week, destroying dozens of semipermanent shelters. Most of the residents were migrants. The blaze left their possessions destroyed and created a further dispute over how the site should be cleared.

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Take it slowly because this concerns people, so make sure we do not take inhumane action. If we are going to move them like this, prepare the place first, handle it and resolve it first.

Koster said the land occupied by the shelters is an official local-government asset, not property belonging to individuals or local residents. He acknowledged that the unauthorized structures had stood there for years partly because of difficulties with on-the-ground monitoring.

He said land-management problems in Bali cannot be solved instantly because empty plots can quickly become occupied. Even so, the provincial government wants any removal of residents from the burned site to follow a humane approach and include a properly prepared relocation solution.

There has been speculation that the land could be used for infrastructure. Koster said the Badung regency government is conducting a detailed study of a possible development plan. “I do not know yet, but clearly there is a plan from the Badung regent to build infrastructure, and whether it will pass through that area or not is being studied,” he said.

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I do not know yet, but clearly there is a plan from the Badung regent to build infrastructure, and whether it will pass through that area or not is being studied.