International

Bali to shut down mobile internet for Day of Silence

Bali to shut down mobile internet

March 14, 2018 | 10:29 AM
Balinese people take part in a Melasti ceremony prayer at Petitenget beach near Denpasar on Wednesday. Melasti is a purification festival which is held several days before Nyepi, the day of silence.
Mobile Internet will be shut down across the Indonesian resort island of Bali during a local Hindu holiday when work or play is forbidden, an official said on Wednesday. Cellular operators will switch off their Internet services on Saturday in observance of Nyepi, or Day of Silence, said I Nyoman Sujaya, the head of Bali's communications and information office. "All cellular providers have agreed to shut down the Internet so that Nyepi can be observed solemnly," he said."Other Internet services will operate as usual." Nyepi brings daily activities to a complete halt as people, including thousands of international tourists, stay indoors. The holiday marks the start of the Balinese Hindu Saka New Year.Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim-majority country, but Bali is predominantly Hindu. 
March 14, 2018 | 10:29 AM