Bali bombsite faces storm over nightclub bid

DENPASAR – Kadek Wiranatha – the Balinese restaurant and nightclub owner - has denied reports that he wants to build an entertainment complex on the site of the 2002 Bali bombings that claimed 202 lives, including 88 Australians.

Wiranatha, often referred to as the King of Kuta, and the man behind the 2005 failed Bali Paradise International airline – told The Australian newspaper’s Deborah Cassrels, “I have not bought the land. They (the reports) are not true. I do not have a building permit."

Wiranatha may not have bought the land – locals say he has leased it for 15 years – and while the owner of the Ku De Ta restaurant, Paddy’s Bar and Double Six nightclub may not have a building permit for a restaurant, nightclub and bar, the permit is being considered by local officials.

Wiranatha’s lawyer Putu Oka Semadi said in a letter to the Bali Peace Park group, dated August 11, ''We inform you that we would like to build a bar and restaurant on the land of the former Sari Club.''

And the village chief, of Kuta, I Gede Suparta told The Age that an application had been lodged to build the nightclub complex, although it had not been processed due to incomplete paperwork.

The Sari Club site - along with Paddy’s Bar it was the scene of the 2002 bombing - has been at the centre of long drawn-out efforts to create a memorial peace park for the victims of the 2002 bombing.

According to The Australian the land has been a hive of activity for much of the past two weeks. Construction workers have erected a site shed and corrugated iron fences, and paved the entrance. A sign declaring that building is not permitted has been removed.

In Australia, prime minister Kevin Rudd is among those calling for the site to be preserved as a memorial to the bombing victims.
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