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News.com.au
01-07-2025
- News.com.au
Why Aussies are ditching the Bali dream
Aussies say they are rethinking their trips to Bali after a clip exposed the dire reality of the holiday destination. For years, Bali has had a longstanding friendship with Aussies and their Bintang shirts – but that may all be coming to a heartbreaking end. Fed-up Aussies are now revealing their plans to ditch the holiday island as overcrowding and two-hour traffic jams take over. In a clip posted to social media, hundreds of bikes and cars can be seen flooding a street in Canggu in bumper-to-bumper traffic. With almost half-a-million views, people were quick to brand the scenes an 'absolute hell hole.' 'This has me rethinking staying in Canggu in a few weeks,' said one. 'I was going to Canggu tomorrow. I'm going to Bangkok, Thailand now. I literally changed my plans overnight,' said another. 'Bali is destroyed,' wrote a third. 'It makes no sense to go to Bali anymore. It's too touristy,' said a fourth. The once-sleepy Canggu has burst onto the world stage in recent years due to its pristine beaches and bustling night-life. Just 45 minutes from Seminyak, the beach town has experience a rapid growth in popularity as tourists and locals attempt to venture into less-crowded places. Earlier this year, leaders in Canggu came together to discuss the biggest issue the community is facing: traffic. During the meeting held in January, the Badung Regency Government met with Canggu Traditional Village Leaders and local police. The meeting was also attended by the Head of the Traffic Unit of Badung Police, AKP I Wayan Sugianta, and the Head of North Kuta Police, AKP Yusuf Dwi Admodjo. They revealed a range of solutions have been offered to ease the problem. 'Solutions discussed included conducting traffic engineering at several key points around the resort area, implementing a one-way system, and increasing road capacity,' reported The Bali Sun. A senior commissioner revealed that authorities have been conducting traffic engineering at several key points around the area. 'Next, the Transportation Agency and the Badung Police Traffic Unit will discuss with relevant stakeholders to determine which points,' he added. 'Currently, what we can do is deploy a traffic jam relief team that goes around to the congestion points. We hope for support from the community so that all efforts made, run well.' The implementation of sea taxi services has also been proposed with the new services operating between Bali Airport, Sanur, Seminyak, Kuta, Canggu, Benoa and Nusa Penida. In 2024, over 1.5 million Australian tourists visited Bali. In November last year alone, foreign tourist visits to Bali reached 72,900 people, with Aussies contributing to 24 per cent of all international arrivals, specifically 118,182 visits, according to The Bali Sun. Despite this, over 12 per cent of Aussies are projected to visit Japan in 2025, a number which Japan's National Tourism Organization says will continue to grow. Between the congestion and over-tourism, Aussies may well be making the switch from Bintang to Sake.
Daily Mail
25-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Read the heartbreaking note from the wife of 'best dad in the world' gunned down in Bali - as mum-of-six breaks her silence after he was shot dead in a suspected gangland hit
The grieving widow of the Australian gunned down in a suspected gangland hit in Bali has broken her silence to reveal her heartbreak at telling her six children their 'loving dad' is dead. Zivan 'Stipe' Radmanovic, 35, was shot dead while Sanar Ghanim, 34, was injured but survived the attack which is believed to be linked to Melbourne's underworld feuds. Radmanovic died in front of his wife Jazmyn Gourdeas, 30, in the toilet of the rented villa where they were staying in Munggu, in the Badung Regency in Bali's south. He had 175 Australian court appearances to his name when he died, while Ghanim also has long links to organised crime in Melbourne. But Ms Gourdeas has now spoken out for the first time almost two weeks after the attack to reveal her family's grief, with a plea for kindness in 'this tragic time'. 'This is a tragedy,' she said in a handwritten note read out by her Balinese lawyer. 'Please be more kind, we have six children. 'My husband was a loving man and the best dad in the world - now I have the unimaginable task of going home to tell them that he's no longer here.' She also asked for privacy while she and her family grieve the death of her husband. Her plea comes after Daily Mail Australia revealed her sister's own links to the underworld and another gangland execution less than six months ago. Daniella Gourdeas was linked on social media to slain Melbourne gangster Sam 'The Punisher' Abdulrahim. She and Jazmyn's brother Dimitri had arrived in Bali with the couple to celebrate Jazmyn's 30th birthday just two days before he was shot dead. Abdulrahim was shot dead in Melbourne in an ambush by a gangland hit squad, but had been a regular on her social media, frequently praising her photographs online. He was brutally executed in January as he drove out of an underground car park at the Preston apartment block where he was secretly living. Five months later, she was a key witness to her brother-in-law's execution in Bali. Daniella told Bali Police how she woke up as the gunmen burst into Ghanim's bedroom and she heard an 'explosion'. Daniella Gourdeas has links to slain gangster Sam 'The Punisher' Abdulrahim (pictured) She said she then heard more gunshots and a window being smashed as the hit squad ran from room to room in the villa before she fled for her life. 'The witness [Daniella] ran out of the villa where she saw two motorcycles [or scooters] parked outside while she heard more gunshots,' added the police officer. '[She ran to] the main road where she asked for help.' By the time bystanders had calmed Daniella down and taken her back to the villa, police were already on the scene. Her sister Jazmyn had also been asleep at the villa when she awoke to the sound of her husband screaming around 12.15am. The mother-of-six cowered behind bedsheets as a man in an orange jacket and an accomplice opened fire on her husband in the bathroom, she told police. Shortly afterwards, she heard further gunshots and then heard Ghanim screaming from a separate room after he was gunned down in his bedroom. With her husband already dead, Ms Gourdeas tried to stem Ghanim's bleeding until emergency services arrived. After the shooting, the suspects allegedly travelled across Indonesia in a bid to flee the country Ghanim was discharged from hospital in a wheelchair last week, nursing a bandaged leg. Bali authorities say they have all three survivors under close watch. Ghanim is the former partner of Danielle Stephens, the stepdaughter of notorious Australian drug trafficker Carl Williams, who was murdered in Victoria's Barwon jail in 2010. But Ghanim's long-standing association with Melbourne's criminal underworld goes deeper than just family ties. In 2014, he was jailed following the shooting of fellow associate Serkan Kala after a dispute at a gym escalated. He and a co-accused pleaded guilty. On Wednesday, Bali detectives arrested three Australian men Midolmore Pasa Tupou, 37, Darcy Jenson, 27, and Mevlut Coskun, 23, after an intense five-day police manhunt. Jenson was arrested at Jakarta Airport as he tried to get through an e-passport reader to board a flight to Singapore and then on to Cambodia. Tupou and Coskun managed to make it to Cambodia but were identified by Interpol who arrested them in Phnom Penh and flew them back to Indonesia. Detectives said a sledgehammer, believed to have been supplied by Coskun, was used to smash down the door of the villa moments before the alleged attack. Badung Police Chief Arif Batubara said the discarded hammer was discovered by officers at the entrance of the villa and quickly became a key piece of evidence. 'Starting from there, we launched an investigation into the barcode on the hammer's purchase,' he told reporters during a press conference on Saturday. Police found 17 bullet casings and 55 bullet fragments at the scene. It comes after Bali Police revealed on Wednesday how the gang allegedly fled across Indonesia after the shooting, escaping the scene on motorbikes before switching cars twice on an 18-hour, 1200km getaway to Jakarta. Detectives revealed the suspects were first traced through Tupou's distinctive tattoos which were first picked up on CCTV as he bought cigarettes near the villa where the attack unfolded. The tattoos were clearly visible in pictures of Tupou as he was being pushed in a wheelchair through Jakarta Airport after he was deported back to Indonesia. Tupou has a combination of traditional Tongan artwork inked onto his skin and the 676-international telephone dialling code for Tonga in huge numbers down his shin. Detectives are now working with forensic experts as they pore over evidence from the crime scene, including blood samples, the sledgehammer, bullet casings and projectiles, and face coverings. Police found 17 bullet casings and 55 bullet fragments at the scene The crime squad is also looking at more CCTV footage, a vehicle and travel history, said a police spokesman. The three can be held without charge for months while police investigate the killing. Once they present their dossier of evidence, the three will be handed over to a prosecutor who will then send them to Bali's notorious Kerobokan Prison. They will then face a court hearing to be formally charged, and kept at Kerobokan throughout their trial until a verdict and possible sentence. They are being investigated for premeditated murder which under Indonesian law can carry the death sentence. The Bali attack comes after exiled Melbourne tobacco overlord Kazem 'Kaz' Hamad is suspected by Australian underworld figures of ordering the hit on Abdulrahim. Abdulrahim reportedly went into hiding in May 2024 after narrowly escaping an ambush outside his northern suburbs home, where gunmen shot at him 17 times. In his last weeks alive, Abdulrahim was said to have become 'something of a ghost' as he moved between Melbourne, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. It's understood Abdulrahim flew into Melbourne the day before his as-yet unsolved murder. Hamad rules his criminal empire from the Middle East with violence and extortion and underworld sources say the ruthless kingpin has the means to order an offshore hit. Abdulrahim's dwindling allies were believed to have gone into hiding themselves after his murder.
Daily Mail
19-06-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The tell-tale clue that led cops to the three Aussies now facing the death penalty for the suspected gangland hit at a luxury Bali villa
Bali detectives have revealed they tracked down the three Australians accused of a gangland hit on two Melbourne men through the tattoos on one of those arrested. Zivan 'Stipe' Radmanovic, 35, and Sanar Ghanim, 34, were shot just after midnight on Saturday at a villa in Munggu, in Badung Regency in Bali's south, in an attack believed to be linked to Melbourne's feuding Middle Eastern crime syndicates. Midolmore Pasa Tupou, 37, Darcy Jenson, 27, and Mevlut Coskun, 23, were arrested and brought back to Bali on Wednesday after an intense five-day police manhunt. Jenson was arrested at Jakarta Airport as he tried to get through an e-passport reader to board a flight to Singapore and then on to Cambodia. Tupou and Coskun managed to make it out of the country to Cambodia but were identified by Interpol who swooped to arrest them in Phnom Penh and returned them to Indonesia. Bali Police revealed on Wednesday how the gang allegedly fled across Indonesia after the shooting, escaping the scene on motorbikes before switching cars twice on an 18-hour, 1200km getaway to Jakarta. Now detectives have revealed they were first traced through Tupou's distinctive tattoos which were first picked up on CCTV as he bought cigarettes near the villa where the attack unfolded. Tupou has a combination of traditional Tongan artwork inked onto his skin as well as the 676-international telephone dialling code for Tonga tattooed in huge numbers down his shin. The tattoos were clearly visible in pictures of Tupou as he was being pushed in a wheelchair through Jakarta Airport after he was deported back to Indonesia. 'Luckily Tupou had time to buy cigarettes not far from the crime scene a few moments before the shooting,' one detective told local Bali media. He was later spotted on CCTV at another shop buying groceries in Jembrana in the holiday island's west, close to a short sea crossing to the Javanese mainland. The alleged hit squad swapped their motorbikes for a Toyota Fortuner in Tabanan, 30km from the villa where the attack unfolded. Tupou was spotted on CCTV getting out of the car in Jembrana before police allege they then crossed the sea to Java and switched to a Suzuki XL-7 SUV. There police said they lost track of them as they made the long-distance trek to Jakarta Airport and allegedly tried to flee the country. But the delay in reaching the airport allowed Indonesian authorities to identify them from the CCTV footage and put out the Interpol alert, stopping Jenson as he tried to leave and identifying Tupou and Coskun in Singapore. On Thursday, Bali police revealed more details about how they allege the hit squad struck at the luxury villa. They claim Coskun supplied the hardware required, including a fluorescent orange sledgehammer which was used to smash down the villa's door. He is also accused of lining up the transport for the alleged gunmen and allegedly stole the Suzuki used in the getaway, assisted by the other pair. The three were all arrested as soon as they touched down back at Bali's Denpasar Airport. Detectives are now working with forensic experts as they pore over evidence from the crime scene, including blood samples, the sledgehammer, bullet casings and projectiles, and face coverings. The crime squad is also looking at more CCTV footage, a vehicle and travel history, said a police spokesman. The three can be held without charge for months while police investigate the killing. Once they present their dossier of evidence, the three will be handed over to a prosecutor who will then send them to Bali's notorious Kerobokan Prison. They will then face a court hearing to be formally charged, and kept at Kerobokan throughout their trial until a verdict and possible sentence. They are being investigated for premeditated murder which under Indonesian law can carry the death sentence. Radmanovic, who had 175 court appearances to his name, died in front of his wife in the villa toilet, while Ghanim was rushed to Kuta's BIMC Hospital with multiple injuries. He was discharged from hospital on Sunday in a wheelchair, nursing a bandaged leg, and police say he has so far refused to co-operate with local authorities. Ghanim is the former partner of Danielle Stephens, daughter of notorious Australian drug trafficker Carl Williams, who was murdered in Victoria's Barwon jail in 2010. Radmanovic's wife Jazmyn Gourdeas, 29, was reportedly asleep at the villa when she awoke to the sound of her husband screaming at around 12.15am. From behind a blanket, the mother-of-six said she witnessed the man in the orange jacket and another man open fire on her husband while he was in the bathroom. Shortly afterwards, she heard further gunshots and Ghanim screaming from a separate room after he was gunned down in his bedroom. With her husband already dead, Ms Gourdeas tried to stem Ghanim's bleeding until emergency services arrived. A fourth person in the villa - believed to be a family member - managed to flee the property while gunshots rang out. Police found 17 bullet casings and 55 bullet fragments at the scene. Ghanim and Radmanovic's family are currently being kept on the island 'under close police watch', authorities said. Radmanovic and Ms Gourdeas are understood to have arrived last Thursday to celebrate her 30th birthday in Bali, where Ghanim and his partner had reportedly been living for years. Ghanim's long-standing association with Melbourne's criminal underworld goes deeper than just family ties. In 2014, he was jailed following the shooting of fellow associate Serkan Kala after a dispute at a gym escalated. He and a co-accused pleaded guilty.
Daily Mail
19-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Bloodbath in Bali: Australian is shot dead in front of his terrified wife and his friend is left fighting for life in 'gangland hit' at their villa - as three suspects faced death penalty
An Australian man has been shot dead and another seriously injured in a suspected gangland-style attack at a villa in Bali, with three suspects now facing the death penalty. Zivan 'Stipe' Radmanovic, 35, and Sanar Ghanim, 34, were shot just after midnight on Saturday at a villa in Munggu - in Badung Regency in Bali's south - in an attack believed to be linked to Melbourne 's feuding Middle Eastern crime syndicates. Mr Radmanovic died in front of his wife at the scene, while Mr Ghanim was rushed to BIMC Hospital with multiple injuries. He was discharged from hospital on Sunday, using a wheelchair and nursing a bandaged leg, and has refused to co-operate with local authorities. Mr Ghanim is also the former partner of Danielle Stephens, daughter of notorious Australian drug trafficker Carl Williams, with the connection sparking speculation that the shooting was a targeted hit. Indonesian police have since arrested three Australians after a days-long manhunt, the Bali Police Chief, Inspector General Daniel Adityajaya, said. The trio could face the death penalty if they are charged, the maximum sentence for premeditated murder. One of the suspected gunmen, Darcy Francesco Jenson, 27, was arrested in Jakarta, about 18 hours' drive west from the scene of the shooting. Another alleged gunman, Mevlut Coskun, 23, was arrested in Singapore. Coskun was serving a two-year conditional release order after being found guilty of drug supply in Australia in 2023. A third man who allegedly helped to plan the attack, Midolmore Tupou, 37, was arrested in Melbourne. Mr Adityajaya added that the suspects had changed vehicles multiple times in a desperate bid to flee Indonesia. Footage from Bali Airport on Tuesday night showed one of the suspects walking in handcuffs with two police officers holding him by the arms. He wore a black T-shirt and shorts, and covered his face with a jumper. Police had earlier confirmed two people have been arrested, one in Jakarta and one overseas, over the alleged shooting, with both set to be extradited to Bali. Mr Radmanovic's wife, 30-year-old Gourdeas Jazmyn, was reportedly asleep at the villa when she awoke to the sound of her husband screaming at around 12.15am. From behind a blanket, the mother-of-six said she witnessed the man in the orange jacket and another man open fire on her husband while he was in the bathroom. Shortly afterwards, she heard further gunshots and Mr Ghanim screaming from a separate room - he was reportedly shot seven times. With her husband already dead, Mr Radmanovic's wife tried to stem Mr Ghanim's bleeding until emergency services arrived. A fourth person in the villa - believed to be a family member - managed to flee the property while gunshots rang out. Police found 17 bullet casings and 55 bullet fragments at the scene. Mr Ghanim and Mr Radmonovic's family are currently being kept on the island 'under close police watch', authorities said. Mr Radmanovic and Ms Jazmyn are understood to have arrived last Thursday to celebrate her 30th birthday in Bali - where Mr Ghanim and his partner had been living for some time. But it was the father of his previous partner who was a Melbourne-based underworld figure who played a central role in the bloody gangland wars of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Initially a low-level dealer, Williams rose to power by manufacturing and distributing huge quantities of amphetamines and later became embroiled in a violent power struggle with rival crime families and former allies. Convicted in 2007 of ordering multiple killings, Williams was serving a life sentence when he was bludgeoned to death in prison in 2010 by a fellow inmate. His life and the wider gangland conflict were later dramatised in the hit Australian TV series Underbelly. Mr Ghanim's long-standing association with Melbourne's criminal underworld goes deeper than just family ties. In 2014, he was jailed following the shooting of fellow associate Serkan Kala after a dispute at a gym escalated. He and a co-accused pleaded guilty. Meanwhile, Ms Stephens, who was also present during the confrontation, was charged but later cleared of any wrongdoing. Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Adityajaya confirmed: 'One suspect was arrested at Soekarno-Hatta Airport while attempting to leave Indonesia. The other two had already left the country but were successfully brought back to Indonesia thanks to cooperation with Interpol.' He said the suspects had changed vehicles multiple times in a desperate bid to flee Indonesia. 'First, they used a motorbike, then switched to a white Toyota Fortuner, which was later found in the Tabanan area,' he said. 'After that, they changed vehicles again, this time to an XL7, and traveled to Surabaya. 'They then attempted to leave the country via [Jakarta's] Soekarno-Hatta Airport. 'However, with the joint efforts of Metro Jaya Police and the National Police Crime Unit, we were able to prevent [one of them] from leaving Indonesia.' Mr Adityajaya said they now faced the death penalty if they are charged over the attack. 'They may be charged under Article 340 of the Criminal Code for premeditated murder, which carries a maximum sentence of the death penalty,' he said. Badung Police Chief Arif Batubara confirmed the shooting on Saturday, telling reporters: 'Yes, it's true that a shooting incident happened. 'There are two victims, Australian nationals. The victims are Zivan Radmanovic and Sanar Ghanim.' Eyewitnesses at the time reported seeing two men fleeing the scene on motorbikes, both with strong Australian accents, according to the Bali Tribune. Mr Radmanovic and Ms Jazmyn are understood to have arrived last Thursday to celebrate her 30th birthday in Bali - where Mr Ghanim and his partner had been living for some time One was said to be wearing a bright orange jacket and a black helmet, while the other wore a green jacket, dark helmet and face covering. Police have appealed for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. Photos from the scene show the villa cordoned off, with a trail of blood leading to the doorway. Forensic officers were at the property on Saturday collecting evidence. Mr Radmanovic's body has been taken to Prof. Ngoerah Hospital in Bali, where the Radmanovic family have now signed the paperwork for an autopsy to be carried out, after earlier delaying the process. An examination of Radmanovic by a forensic doctor indicated he had been shot several times and also beaten.
Daily Mail
18-06-2025
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Police FINALLY arrest three Australians behind Bali gangland hit who now face the death penalty - as their desperate attempt to flee the island is revealed
Three Australians have been arrested over the shooting of two Aussies in a brutal attack in a Bali villa, after they allegedly tried to flee the holiday island. Zivan 'Stipe' Radmanovic, 35, and Sanar Ghanim, 34, were shot just after midnight on Saturday at a villa in Munggu - in Badung Regency in Bali's south - in an attack believed to be linked to Melbourne 's feuding Middle Eastern crime syndicates. Radmanovic died at the scene after he was shot twice in the chest and once in the foot, while Ghanim was rushed to Kuta's BIMC Hospital with gunshot wounds. Ghanim is the former partner of Danielle Stephens, who is the stepdaughter of slain Melbourne gangland boss Carl Williams. He was discharged from hospital on Sunday, using a wheelchair and nursing a bandaged leg, and has refused to co-operate with local authorities. Bali Police Chief, Inspector General Daniel Adityajaya, confirmed on Wednesday that three Australians had been arrested in relation to the shooting - the suspected gunmen, and the individual who allegedly planned the attack. 'One suspect was arrested at Soekarno-Hatta Airport while attempting to leave Indonesia. The other two had already left the country but were successfully brought back to Indonesia thanks to cooperation with Interpol,' Mr Adityajaya said. He said the suspects had changed vehicles multiple times in a desperate bid to flee Bali. 'First, they used a motorbike, then switched to a white Toyota Fortuner, which was later found in the Tabanan area. 'After that, they changed vehicles again, this time to an XL7, and traveled to Surabaya. 'They then attempted to leave the country via Soekarno-Hatta Airport. However, with the joint efforts of Metro Jaya Police and the National Police Crime Unit, we were able to prevent (one of them) from leaving Indonesia.' Asked about the charges the suspects would likely face, Mr Adityajaya said: 'They may be charged under Article 340 of the Criminal Code for premeditated murder, which carries a maximum sentence of the death penalty.'
