The Bali Police have beefed up security ahead of the visit of King Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia to Bali next month.
The police will implement extra security precautions for the king’s entourage, which reportedly comprise 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.
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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. “Everything is ready,” he said.
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The governor said it was not yet known where exactly King Salman would stay. “He only wants to take a rest 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 procedure for food security,” he said.
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King Salman is scheduled to arrive in Bali on March 4 and will leave on March 9. The Ngurah Rai International Airport will close flights to and from Bali for at least 45 minutes to prepare for the landing of King Salman’s plane on the island.
Before going to Bali, King Salman will enjoy a state visit to Indonesia from March 1 to March 4, during which time he will meet President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo at the Presidential Palace in Bogor, West Java. King Salman is also expected to visit the House of Representatives and Istiqlal Mosque in Central Jakarta.
