Increased security

Watching the internet and the increase interest in Gili Sunut should be a good thing. But along with the extra attention the island is getting comes the visitor problems and the pollution they bring to this pure island.

Gili Sunut is a private island and no tours are allowed on the island. This is very important as a number of greedy tour operators in Jakarta and Lombok are already trying to selling tours to Sunut.

Security on the island will turn all boats away.

Please remember if you are visiting East Lombok take all your plastic bottle and rubbish home with you. It is not difficult. Do not throw your rubbish out of the car. Learn to respect the beautiful countryside and our environment.

Gili Sunut is not for public tours

Here's a large sign everyone should read before they pay a local tour operator to visit Gili Sunut.

This is private property and NO access is allowed.  The village was relocated a long time ago. Read this blog for for more details about the work Ocean Blue Resorts Indonesia is doing. 

Do not pay any tour operator offering you tours to Sunut. Security will turn you away. 

Reservoir fills Up

With the construction of the reservoir finished, the rainy season brought the much needed supply of water to the village.

These images were taking in November 2014 and since then the water level is now sufficient for the supply for the coming year.

Major infrastructure upgrade goes ahead

After a lengthy tender process, the Regional Government was pleased to confirm that in September this year it had awarded the new road contract to a specialist firm.

By the beginning of November construction of the final 8km of hotmix road to the OBR Nature Reservation was under way.

This is a major milestone for the communities along the new road and  for Ocean Blue Resorts 155 Hectare mainland site. As part of the larger tourism development masterplan for the region, the government with financial support from Ocean Blue Resorts Indonesia, will complete the road within the next few months.

Along with improved road access, the national power company (PLN) is also working to complete the final 8km of electricity cabling.

The PLN team Installing the concrete posts is further advanced that the road construction team and currently only  4km from the entrance to our land.

New reservoir is completed

With thanks to the NTB Public Works Department, construction of the new reservoir below the village has been completed.

All we need now is the rain!  Along with new the 4m deep well that has been bored, the reservoir will provide non potable water for the community. 

With the serious water shortages this season and late arrival of the rains, the reservoir will be a vital lifeline in the future. 

New school nears completion

It has been a busy few months at the new village. Finally we are pleased to report that the new school is close to being completed.

The school has six class rooms and one teacher / admin room. Bright and spacious, the new classrooms are ready to be fitted out.

Currently the mosque doubles as a class room for the younger children. While the new teaching staff will help school age pupils, OBRI hopes to create additional classes to help the adult population to learn English.  

As there is no national curriculum to support our education plans, we will soon announce the start of a new book donation programme for English/Bahasah classes.

As always the kids we happy to show us round and pose for other photo. 

Before and After Relocation

We take drinking water for granted. On Sunut Island there was one old well that only provided a small amount of brown water. So this had to be boiled before it could be used. Then in about 2010 the well dried up. 

As an island community, the basics of life were never available. Forget washing, when you need water to cook with.  

During the construction of the new village, we built two vast water storage tanks at each end of the village. One is pictured here. These are connected by underground pipes to each home to supply fresh water. Its not perfect yet as we still need to refill the tanks by lorry. We hope in the not too distant future we will get the mains water pipeline finished.

Before and After Relocation

With no other option, the families had to use makeshift toilets outside their huts. Essentially, a few old sheets propped up with sticks to surround a bucket. With no water supply and no waste management system, sanitation and hygiene were major issues.

When we planned the relocation, proper toilets were to be a necessary addition to every home. Together with the new water supply and professional waste management system, every new home has a large toilet and shower area. Not to mention privacy!

Before and After relocation

Let there be light. Clean and free. The solar energy farm built on the hill side has been completed. Thanks to everyone involved in supplying every home at Sunut Baru with free green energy. We also lite up the streets and public building.

Before the relocation some of the families used kerosene lamps. Fire safety was an issue with the dry wooden homes, putting people and property in danger.

Green power works for everyone and is at the heart of Ocean Blue Resorts business ethos. To be genuinely environmental sensitive. And for the villagers, it simple means that they do not have to worry about monthly electricity bills. 

Before and After relocation

Spot the difference! Trick question as the picture is the same before and after relocation. The community chose the location on the mainland to build the new village so that they could continue to fish the same water and live exactly the same traditional life style.

So while not on Sunut today, they continue to enjoy the same fishing rights. Ocean Blue Resorts, as a responsible foreign investment company puts the community first.

Before and After relocation

Did families loose out when they were relocated 1km to the mainland site they chose? One NGO would say they were not compensated well enough!!

Before and after relocation

Living below the poverty line in Indonesia. A private foreign company steps in and helps.

before and after relocation

From very basic housing with leaky roof to modern 3 room homes. All 109 families were given (for free) a detached house with private garden and we are currently processing the land title for every family. On Sunut the families had no legal title over the land / hut so this give them security for the future. 

Relocation. Relocation. Relocation.

Have the living standards of the community improved since relocating?

Has the community access to the same fishing area?

Are there better opportunities for the community now they live on the mainland?

Take a look at the following pictures and you decide.

Ceremony marks the official completion of the village

It has been many years in the making, but finally on Friday 5^th July 2013 the community was able to hold a ceremony to officially open the new village.

Last minute preparations started the week before with promises that the local government would finally finish the new mosque. As the days drew closer, it was obvious that this would not happen. With no ceramic floor and the building still unpainted, OBRI once again stepped in to ensure the ceremony would continue.

Embarrassed by their inability to function professionally, transparently and with any understanding of schedules, the Bupati and his senior team did not accept OBRI’s invitation to celebrate the community’s success in relocating to the new village.

Martin Gow CEO of OBRI was guest of honour at the celebration along with the Camat. In his speech he congratulated the community for their support and hard work in helping making the new village a reality. ‘This is not the end of our journey together, but the beginning’ he told a packed mosque.  But he warned that the government needs to take responsibility quickly to fulfil its obligations to the community and to OBRI.

Later he added, ‘International investors and hotel operators are watching us in Lombok. The regional government needs to be very careful how it handles large investors like OBRI. With a 120m USD investment ready to start and two 5-star hotel operators ready to work with OBRI, the ongoing delays by various departments, especially the BPN need to be investigated.’

To celebrate with the community, OBRI provided a cow to sacrifice, food, drink and transportation for the guests. As always, there was also a bag load of footballs and candy for the kids!

Let there be light!

With the community settling into their new homes, one job outstanding was to provide solar energy to every home. This had the dual benefit of not relying on the national power company to extend the power supply and providing the community with clean and free energy.

 

As usual, in the eight months since OBRI started the final phase of the village construction (Oct 2012), nothing got done by the regional government departments. As a result the community is left in the dark.

With the tenders only recently completed, the contract to build the solar farm and network the village with power has been awarded.

While the contractor is now at the village, it will be about a month before the system is fully working. To help solve the problem, OBRI sent in a team to rig up temporary street lighting for the community.

Company Representative for OBRI Pak Ahim was please to supply a generator, LED floodlights, 400 meters of cable, posts and the fuel to run the genset.  ‘This is a temporary measure to help the community at night’, he said. ‘We hope the contractor is able to finish on schedule but with the official opening of the village on Friday 5^th July we needed to step in and help again.”

There was a party atmosphere at the village on Saturday as the OBRI team got the light working just as the sun was setting. Special thanks to Pak Yasin of organising the team. 

Community move a success

Having formally taken possession of their new homes in May this year, the people from Gili Sunut wasted no time in relocating to the mainland.  

But it was no easy task as everthing from furniture to the local shop had to be packed up and taken to Teangah Anjah village. At low tide families worked together to carry heavy furniture over the sand bar to the mainland and a waiting van. From there it was a bumpy one hour drive to the reach the new village.

One by one Gili Sunut was emptied of families and the mainland village filled with the sound of the kids exploring their new homes.

OBRI was on hand to help and ensure that their new homes were up to standard.

With all 109 families relocated, our attention turned to organising the formal ceremony to bless the village and welcome everyone to their new homes.

Plans are now well underway to host the ceremony on Friday 5^th July. Before then, there are a few last minute jobs to complete including street lighting and tiling the floor of the new Mosque.

We will keep you posted as preparations take shape.

Time to play ball

This week’s visits to Sunut also involved the customary delivery of more footballs.

On Saturday, Martin Gow presented the kids with another bag full of balls, boxes of water and candy.

But with the sun scorching down, there was only time for a few relay competitions with two aspiring teams. The winning team having the privilege of eating all the snacks we had taken to the island for lunch. 

New security for Sunut

With the villagers packing up their belongings and preparing to move to their new mainland homes, it was time for OBRI to reveal its new security measures.

The handover of the house, keys and some cash meant OBRI had completed its obligations with the Regional Government. So it was fitting that new security signs were erected around the island to ensure no one trespassed on the land.

Two days after signing with the community, OBRI revisited the island and with the help of the villagers put up these warning signs on the beaches.

Permission is now required to access the island. As an environmentally responsible company the signs also remind would-be visitors to respect our land and the wildlife.

Additional security patrols will be working 24/7 from next month. 

The villagers final get their new homes

Good News.  On 16^th May 2013 the community and regional government were finally in a position to start the relocation process.

Community leaders came to the Camat’s office on the mainland to discuss the move and then to sign their individual agreements that would allow them to move.

At the meeting the status of the mosque was discussed and the Camat promised the new building would be finished within 7 days.

With so many families involved, it was agreed that the signing ceremony would continue on the Island everything was boxed up and transported to Sunut.

There, the old mosque was converted into a notaries office with 109 families pouring in to sign for their new homes, receive their keys and count the cash OBRI provided to help them move!

By the time we were finished it was dark and the boat journey back to the mainland proved to be another fun experience no one would forget. With the tide at its lowest point, we were forced to wade over half a km in the dark from the boat to reach the mainland.  

Behind the scenes it was a difficult situation with the regional government again. Petty bureaucracy, red tape and no one capable of take responsibility for the process mean OBRI had to push everything through. The agreed deadline had been 11^th May, so you would expect all departments to be ready. Once again, it was not the case with one letter missing that everyone knew was required. Well it was the election season so there were better things to do that actually working.