Bali’s beach boys reject gigolo slur FEATURE 04/30/2010

Bali’s beach boys reject gigolo slur

FEATURE 04/30/2010 KUTA — Fun-loving local beach boys are as much a fixture and, for some women, an attraction of Bali as the sun and surf, but all that could be about to change thanks to a controversial new film. The documentary, Cowboys in Paradise by Singapore-based writer and director Amit Virmani, sparked panic among Bali’s tourism officials when it was released at a film festival in South Korea earlier this month. Its candid interviews with the local men who flirt with and seduce foreign tourists has severely tarnished the resort island’s image, officials say. “Certainly it’s worrying. We’ll take action so the image of Bali as a spiritual island isn’t tainted,” Bali Gov. Made Mangku Pastika told reporters. Police have rounded up almost 30 of the so-called beach “cowboys” in a bid to “clean up the beach of prostitution,” Bali police spokesman Gede Sugianyar said.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100430com7.html

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