Story By: Michael Leidig, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report
The authorities in Bali believe a British entrepreneur who drove a motorbike to a clifftop beauty spot may have fallen to his death.
The investigation started earlier in the week after locals reported an abandoned motorbike near to the Selonding Temple in Pecatu Village in the Pecatu area of the South Kuta District in the south of the Indonesian island of Bali.
As well as the abandoned bike that was rented by a Ryan Roth, 39, who had been living at a nearby villa, cops have also recovered a towel and a bottle of booze at the top of the cliff.
There was also reportedly a note left to his ex-girlfriend suggesting that it might have been a suicide. The note said: “I’m sorry Alice. I’m the man you fell in love with but past things I never did maybe you feel I was a stranger. I’ll always love you. None of this is your fault. Your old man xx.”
It was apparent reference to an old girlfriend of his named Alice Yu, reportedly from Hong Kong, who was unable to add anything as she said he had been behaving normally in recent days.
The businessman, who was originally from Southampton, reportedly started companies including Roth Management and Kabu and Co.
Local media report Bali’s Search and Rescue Agency received a call on Monday saying that the motorbike had been there for some time.
Located in the south-western peninsula of Bali. the area is famous for its towering cliffs overlooking beaches that are popular with surfers. The high cliffs that keep beaches private are also popular with nudists.
Locals are quoted saying that they suspected the British man jumped off the cliff on the afternoon of 19th January.
Kuta Police Chief Yusak Agustinus told reporters that investigators are working to confirm if the victim had committed suicide or fallen off the cliff.
The incident comes after a man from Belarus, 34, fell from the Tanjung Mebulu cliff in the same area of Pecatu in October 2019. The local authorities searched for his body for seven days without success, with high tides believed to have swept his body away.
The foreign office confirmed they had been informed and are in contact with the missing man’s family in order to provide support and liaise with the Indonesian police.
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