One man's food is clearly another's poison and the process of interpretations adds masala to the story. Fun-loving local beach boys are as much a fixture and,for some women,attraction of Bali as the sun and surf,but all that could be about to change thanks to a controversial new film. The documentary,"Cowboys in Paradise" by Singapore-based writer and director Amit Virmani,sparked panic among Bali's tourism officials when it was released at a film festival in South Korea earlier this month. Its candid interviews with the local men who flirt with and seduce foreign tourists has severely tarnished the resort island's image,officials say. "Certainly it's worrying. We'll take action so the image of Bali as a spiritual island isn't tainted," Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika told reporters. Police have rounded up almost 30 of the so-called beach "cowboys" in a bid to "clean up the beach of prostitution",Bali police spokesman Gede Sugianyar said. Some of the men at the centre of the brouhaha said they were distressed and angry at being hounded as gigolos,and flatly denied offering sexual favours for money. "I'm stressed by the raids. I wonder if the authorities are coming after me next," 29-year-old surf instructor Rosnan Efendi said. "I'm also angry the filmmaker twisted the story. We were told it was a documentary about love and relationships between locals and foreigners," he added.
