A recent interview with a Finnish newspaper

 

Somewhere in Bali

Why and when did you leave Bali?

I left Bali three years ago, my reasoning was pretty simple. I had spent eight or so years living on the island and I found myself becoming increasingly annoyed by the small stuff, the traffic, the rip offs etc. No matter how beautiful the place, when that starts to happen, it’s probably time to move on.

What did you do for living in Bali?

While I lived in Bali I was involved with a development company. Most of my work was done within the marketing side of the business.

How long did you live there?

Eight or so years, but I travelled back and forth regularly before that.

Are your brothers still living there? How many of them?

My brothers no longer conduct business in Bali; my family visits the island occasionally for holidays.

Where are you living now?

I now live in Thailand, there is a similarity that I’m used to, and I could not give up on South East Asia altogether.

Would you consider Kuta area as a dangerous place to visit?

Like most places in the world Kuta is as dangerous as you want to make it. I would advise any person that is thinking of traveling to a foreign country to keep their wits about them and to understand the environment they are entering into.

Indonesia is a very large country and there are people that travel to Bali seeking vulnerable tourists. That said most high profile tourist destinations seem to attract a criminal element.

How does the criminality in Kuta show on everyday life of an average tourist?

Most of the criminality against tourists is generally small scale, rip offs, over charging, pick pocketing, villa break-ins, etc. However, problems with violence do sometimes occur along the nightclub strip in Kuta.

In your advice, how can tourists avoid the problems?

  
My advice would be to never become in involved with in an altercation with the locals or any nightclub security staff in Bali. I have seen a lot of tourists get hurt this way. I would also only carry small amounts of cash and a cheap phone on any night out.

Is there a lot of criminality in other parts of Bali than Kuta also?

Kuta would be the hub of criminality in Bali, that said it is a small island and most of the bad element lives in the capital Denpasar.  The criminal element then travel to Kuta, Seminyak, Sanur, and other tourist destinations. The distance between these places is relatively short.

Can the police be trusted? Are they only corrupted or also straight involved in criminal activity?

It is always wise to have some money in your wallet if you intend to trust the police.

Can you trust anyone there? Locals or westerners?

Most Indonesians are good people that will do anything to help travellers in their country. Unfortunately there are also a small number of people that cannot be trusted. I guess it comes down to the individual judging the person they are dealing with.

Are all the gangs locals or have the western people formed those too?

A few western motorcycle gangs are moving into Bali, but at the moment the locals have most of the control.

What's the difference between a local and an expat criminal?

The local will generally have relatives or they will know somebody with connections. The local will generally win most disputes. 

How can an average tourist spot a scam? In other words, how not to get screwed?

Do due diligence, check everything twice or three times, and always hire an outside source to go over any paper work before signing. Never accept the lawyer or Notaris that is offered to you in any land deal.  Sometimes it helps to ask someone who has lived in Bali a long time to recommend a trusted lawyer or Notaris.

You've probably seen a lot of other destinies like that? Is it very common?

Bali has its own uniqueness but most places in South East Asia, if not the world, have their problems.

What about the good sides of Kuta / Bali?

I would not have been able to live in Bali for eight years if it didn’t have a good side. When I wrote Bali Raw I had grown weary of all the wonderful things that were being written about Bali. I wanted to level the scales slightly, tell people about the other side of Bali.

What's your upcoming book about?

I have written another book about Bali that will be published soon, I am also close to completing a book about Thailand, but at the moment most of my focus is on screenplays. 

I have completed  two screenplays at present. One script is based in Cambodia and it is titled, ‘No Negotiation No Ransom’ it is the true story of an Australian who was kidnapped by the Khmer Rouge in 1994. 

The other is a horror/comedy titled Dog House that was written for the American market. I have recently started another about the Bali Bombings that is loosely titled, Heroes.

Anything else you'd like to say about Bali?

Not really, I hope I said everything that needed to be said in my two books.