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Litterbugs to be fined on Belitung Island
People who pollute Belitung Island could be fined up to Rp 50 million (US$3,566) and receive a jail sentence of three months.
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Tanjung Kelayang Beach in Bangka Belitung Islands. (Shutterstock/Rudi Golden)
L
itter is a common sight at popular tourist spots, including in Indonesia. Seeking to break such a bad habit, the Belitung administration in Bangka Belitung Islands regency plans to implement a new regulation that would punish people who recklessly throw their waste on the ground.
Bangka Belitung Deputy Regent Isyak Meirobie said the sanctions were stipulated in Decree No. 23/2019 that was issued on June 28.
“The regulation will come into effect in September after a month-long trial run starting August,” he said on Sunday, as quoted by kompas.com.
Those who pollute the island could be fined up to Rp 50 million (US$3,566) and receive a jail sentence of three months, Isyak said, adding that the new regulation was a follow-up to an article in a 2014 bylaw on public order.
He hoped that the regulation’s implementation could help protect Belitung’s image as one of the country’s top tourist destinations. The island’s Tanjung Kelayang Beach, which boasts a gorgeous coral reef, colorful fish and colonial Dutch-built lighthouse, has been named a special economic zone for tourism.
Belitung is one of two main islands in Bangka Belitung province, which is located off the east coast of Sumatra. The islands are famous for their sandy beaches and granite rock formations, among other things. (iva/kes)
