T

he Bali Police have beefed up security ahead of the visit of King Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia to the island next month.

The police will implement extra security precautions for the king’s entourage, which reportedly comprises 1,500 people, including 10 ministers and 25 princes.

“We will implement maximum security measures. This will be a VVIP security operation that will be jointly conducted with the military,” said Bali Police spokesperson Adj. Sr. Comr. Hengky Widjaja.

“We don’t want to take any risks. We will secure all hotels where they will stay and routes and tourist sites the king may visit,” Hengky said.

King Salman will reportedly take with him at least 100 security personnel from Saudi Arabia to secure his five-day visit to Bali.

Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika said authorities had made all necessary preparations to welcome the king. He said it was not yet known where exactly King Salman would stay. “He only wants to take a break in Bali,” Pastika said.

Pastika said the food provided for him would be halal. “They have a special team for preparing the food. They have their own procedures for food security,” he said.

King Salman is scheduled to arrive in Bali on March 4 and will leave on March 9. Ngurah Rai International Airport will stop flights to and from Bali for at least 45 minutes to prepare for the arrival of King Salman’s plane.