DENPASAR, BALINEWS – A media gathering hosted by Bali Police Chief Inspector General Pasma Royce at Hongkong Garden Restaurant in Denpasar on Thursday (October 29, 2026) was overshadowed by complaints from several journalists' organizations over their treatment by police personnel.
Tri Widiyanti, Chairperson of the Bali Provincial Executive Board of the Indonesian Online Journalists Association (PW IWO Bali), said she had experienced what she described as unpleasant treatment from two members of the Bali Police Chief's Personal Staff (Spripim) while attending the event.
Widiyanti, popularly known as Widy, said she was not allowed to go up to the second floor, where the gathering was being held. Instead, she was instructed to wait downstairs without receiving what she considered an adequate explanation from the officers.
Widy acknowledged that she had arrived late due to a demanding work schedule and heavy traffic. However, she emphasized that she was attending the event in her official capacity as chairperson of the Bali chapter of IWO, rather than simply as an individual guest.
"I did arrive late because of my busy work schedule and traffic congestion. The issue is that I attended in my capacity as Chairperson of IWO Bali. If I had been denied entry as an individual, that would have been understandable. However, when I was prevented from going upstairs, the two Bali Police staff members involved did not provide any explanation," Widy said.
She stressed that her main concern was not her late arrival, but the way the officers communicated the restriction, which she considered inappropriate and lacking professional courtesy toward members of the press.
"The treatment by those two staff members was hurtful to us. Their manner was not welcoming toward journalists. They could have communicated more politely, for example, by saying, 'Excuse me, the Police Chief is currently delivering his remarks. Please wait for a moment, and you may go upstairs afterward.' It is a simple matter of courtesy," she said.
Widy argued that an event intended to strengthen relations between the police and the media should prioritize respectful communication and mutual understanding.
She also called for the matter to be addressed beyond a simple reprimand of the personnel involved.
"We are asking that this matter not be addressed solely through an apology from the Head of Public Relations. We strongly urge the Bali Police Chief to personally apologize to our colleagues at IWO Bali," said Widy, who is also a journalist with MetroBali.
A separate complaint concerning communication by Bali Police personnel was raised by Amroz Boli, representing the Bali chapter of the Indonesian Television Journalists Association (IJTI).
Amroz said he had received an invitation to the gathering via WhatsApp from a member of the Bali Police Public Relations staff. However, a subsequent message stating that his absence would be acceptable if he was unable to attend gave him the impression that IJTI Bali's presence was not particularly important to the police.
At the time, Amroz was attending the launch of a book written by a senior colleague. He said he had initially responded to the invitation by expressing his appreciation and confirming his willingness to attend.
"We received the invitation via WhatsApp while attending a book launch on Tuesday afternoon. We replied, 'Okay, thank you.' However, another message followed, saying that it would be fine if we could not attend. We felt that the follow-up message suggested that IJTI Bali was not important to the Bali Police," Amroz said.
He said he had conveyed his concerns to the Bali Police Public Relations staff. The staff subsequently clarified that the message was intended to confirm attendance and apologized for the misunderstanding.
Amroz expressed hope that similar incidents would not happen again. He said that if the intention was merely to confirm attendance, the wording of such messages should be clear to avoid different interpretations.
Bali Police Public Relations Chief Issues Apology
Responding to the complaints, Bali Police Public Relations Chief Commissioner Ariasandy expressed his apology for the inconvenience experienced by Widy.
He explained that the incident stemmed from a misunderstanding while the Bali Police Chief was delivering his opening remarks. According to Ariasandy, he only received information about Widy's arrival through WhatsApp while he was focused on the chief's speech.
"On behalf of the Bali Police Public Relations Division, I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. There was a slight misunderstanding with Ms. Widy because she arrived somewhat late, while the Police Chief had already begun his remarks," Ariasandy said when contacted.
Ariasandy added that the situation could potentially have been handled immediately if he had received earlier notification of Widy's arrival by telephone.
He also confirmed that the incident had been reported to the Bali Police Chief. The Spripim personnel involved were reportedly given verbal reprimands by their superiors.
Earlier during the gathering, Bali Police Chief Inspector General Pasma Royce expressed his appreciation to editors-in-chief, television station heads, and members of the press for their continued role in delivering information to the public.
The event was also attended by Bali Deputy Police Chief Brigadier General I Made Astawa, Bali Press Council (PWI) Chairperson I Wayan Dira Arsana, Bali Regional Broadcasting Commission (KPID) Chairperson I Gede Agus Astapa, senior Bali Police officials, media executives, and representatives of journalists' organizations across the island.
In his remarks, Pasma Royce expressed hope that relations between the police and media organizations in Bali would remain strong and contribute to providing the public with positive, educational, and reliable information.
"We hope that relations between the police and our media colleagues in Bali will remain strong and continue to serve as a source of positive, educational, and reliable information for the wider community," Pasma said.
Nevertheless, the complaints raised during the gathering have highlighted concerns about communication and professional relations between the Bali Police and journalists' organizations.
Widy maintained that the apology from the Head of Public Relations had not fully addressed her concerns. She reiterated her demand for a personal apology from the Bali Police Chief to IWO Bali as a gesture of respect toward the organization and the wider journalistic community.
