Hundreds of foreigners and locals, dressed in all-white, gathered at Batu Bolong Beach in Canggu, Badung regency, on Monday to support the safer Bali campaign.

Although many were in mourning for an 18-year-old Korean girl, who died recently after being mugged, their spirit and motivation to make the island a better place remained strong.

Bali was shocked by the death of Kim Eun-sol who died after a motorcycle ran over her on a road in Kerobokan, Denpasar.

Eun-sol was on a motorcycle in the early hours of May 17 when muggers on two motorcycles tried to take her bag. She tried to keep a hold on it, but fell off the bike only to be run over by another vehicle driving in the other direction.

The muggers remain at large.

At the event, which was titled We Love Bali Safe, Gonzalo Assiego read a declaration at the beginning of the gathering, stating that they would work with all stakeholders to promote peace on the island.

'€œWe Love Bali Safe has the deepest respect for Bali, its people, its culture and heritage. We will work together with other local communities as one community,'€ he said.

'€œOur focus is to work alongside the authorities with the aim to implement and provide education to the public which will create a safer Bali for all of us.'€

Sudarsana, a local figure, praised the community for organizing the event. '€œLet'€™s make Bali shanti [peaceful]. We are responsible for securing Bali.'€

He added that such a campaign was important for the island as Bali was a tourism magnet. An unsafe Bali might make tourists choose other destinations, he said.

Bali has also seen several rape cases, especially those attacking foreigners. A Swedish woman recently reported that she had been raped inside her hotel room in the famous tourism area of Kuta.

On Thursday, a British woman was found dead with multiple injuries to her body in a villa in Junjungan, a quiet neighborhood of upscale villas in Ubud.

The woman was found lying on the floor with a black cloth covering her face.

A few days later, the Bali Police arrested a suspect named Hambali, a native of Karawang, West Java, for his alleged involvement in the murder.

Representing law enforcement, North Kuta Police chief Adj. Comr. Ronny Riantoko said his side would fight crimes, but called on residents to be actively involved.

'€œWe want you to support us [...] be the police yourselves, be careful and headoff any opportunity for crimes,'€ he said.

In response to Eun-sol'€™s death, Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Albertus Julius Benny Mokalu also pledged to beef up security measures to prevent crime across the island, through regular operations and the monitoring of recidivists.

Event coordinator Arif Waworuntu said the event aimed to increase people'€™s awareness and promote a safer Bali.

'€œWe, Indonesians, Balinese people as well as foreigners here, want to create awareness on security among the people,'€ he said.

The event on Monday was enlivened by participants carrying banners that promoted a safer Bali, while others distributed stickers.

Later, they also scattered flowers for Eun-sol and other victims of crimes. Flowers were also scattered in the water by a group of surfers who had formed a circle beforehand.

The event ended around 7 p.m. Monday with lanterns released in to the air.

Popular

Luhut confirms Jakarta-Surabaya high-speed rail project will continue

TNI protection details for prosecutors spark overreach fears

Lin-Manuel Miranda, Phyllida Lloyd among mentors of latest Rolex Arts Initiative