DENPASAR ~ The Bali Tourism Authority will continue conducting operations to catch foreign nationals who work as tour guides in Bali, an official said.

“Foreigners who violate immigration regulations by working as tour guides in Bali will be brought to court,” Made Suhadana, chairman of the Bali chapter of the Indonesian Guides Association, told the state-run Antara news agency on Tuesday.

Sukadana said his organization was cooperating with the Indonesian Recreational Park Association in carrying out operations to arrest illegal guides in Bali.

Foreigners who worked illegally as tourist guides were usually consultants, he said.

“They should be working in offices; instead they misuse their visa by working as guides, too,” he said.

Since 1988, the Bali government has issued official guide permits to 7,039 Indonesians but only about 4,700 were still active as tour guides, he said.

It has issued guide certificates for 2,500 people since 2002 and opened a three-month training program for Indonesians who want to become tourist guides.