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Jakarta a possible alternative for 2018 IMF-World Bank meeting
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Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung (right), Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan (center) and State Secretariat Pratikno talk before attending a limited Cabinet meeting at the State Palace on April 4. (Antara/ Puspa Perwitasari)
T
he government is preparing Jakarta as an alternative place to host the IMF-World Bank meeting in 2018 in response to the unstable condition of Bali’s Mount Agung.
“We’re preparing contingency plans. [Volcanic activities] could disrupt the arrival of tourists during the event,” said Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Panjaitan in Jakarta on Wednesday as reported by kontan.co.id.
The contingency plan includes the possible relocation of the meeting venues from Nusa Dua, Bali, to another city, Luhut said, adding that the government had not discussed the details of the plan. “It is too early to talk about it,” he said
The IMF-World Bank 2018 annual meeting is scheduled to be held next year from Oct. 8 to 14 in Bali.
Read also: Bali vows joyful IMF-WB meetingBetween 15,000 and 17,000 people from 189 countries are expected to participate in the annual event, including country officials, international observers, academics, journalists and NGO representatives.
The government expects the event to attract more tourism to Bali.
Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said his ministry will prepare several tourist packages and promote them on the travel website TripAdvisor.
As of Tuesday, more than 80,000 people living near Mount Agung have been evacuated. Rising magma and increased tremors have fueled fears of an imminent eruption. (bbn)
