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British Consulate Bali launches “Methanol Poisoning Awareness Campaign” in Bali

Methanol Poisoning Awareness (MPA) campaign, a new initiative by the British Consulate in Bali.

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Acting British Ambassador Rebecca Razavi and Bali Governor Mr I Made Mangku Pastika

Acting British Ambassador Rebecca Razavi and Bali Governor Mr I Made Mangku Pastika

Acting British Ambassador Rebecca Razavi today met Bali Governor Mr I Made Mangku Pastika to launch the Methanol Poisoning Awareness (MPA) campaign, a new initiative by the British Consulate in Bali. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the danger of methanol in counterfeit alcoholic drinks, and reduce the number of deaths and injuries suffered by foreign and domestic tourists in Indonesia, as a result.

Acting Ambassador Razavi said:

This campaign underlines the importance of British tourists being aware of the health risks of counterfeit alcohol. No holiday – to anywhere in the world – should end in tragedy. One death due to counterfeit alcohol is one too many. So we will work with the Bali Provincial administration and the many responsible and reputable retailers in Indonesia, to try and eradicate this risk to people’s life and health.

During the meeting Mrs Razavi officially handed the campaign materials to Governor Pastika to symbolise the launch of the campaign. The branded materials will be distributed throughout Bali.

Notes to Editors:

  • Recent official tourism figures demonstrate that UK visitor arrival figures are rising sharply, with 48,871 British tourists travelling to Indonesia in the first quarter of 2014. In April 2014, 19,809 British nationals visited Indonesia, which is an increase of 18.2 percent on April 2013.

  • Following the launch of Garuda flight to the UK in Aug, we expect UK visitor numbers to continue to increase as a result.

  • In 2013 counterfeit alcohol caused over 51 deaths and 52 hospitalisations in Indonesia. (source: Edelman Indonesia)

Published 10 October 2014