Bali, Oct 4: Authorities in Indonesia’s Bali island are searching for a foreign national who was filmed in a viral video meditating naked at a Hindu shrine.
The clip was viewed widely on social media after it was posted by community group ‘canggu_bali’ and then reposted and reported by influencer Ni Luh Djelantik, news.com website reported on Wednesday.
In the video, the man wearing nothing but a necklace can be seen sitting in front of a shrine with his legs crossed, appearing to meditate.
“So disrespectful. Meditating nak*d on our temple?… How could you do this, humiliating Balinese and their belief ? Immigration Officer please get this person, we’ve had enough! This is a humiliation to us Balinese people,” Djelantik wrote on Instagram, calling on the authorities to act immediately.
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According to the news report, the foreign national has been identified by authorities but his name and nationality have not been publicly disclosed, and a search to nab him continues.
The exact location of the clip and who took the video also remains undisclosed.
“We are in coordination with the Directorate of Intel and Security of the Bali Regional Police,” a local news agency said, quoting Denpasar Immigration head Tedy Riyandi on Tuesday.
“We are working hard to track down the whereabouts of the foreigner and determine the time and location of the incident,” Riyandi added.
Reacting sharply to the video, furious netizens wrote: “We don’t need this kind of tourist on our island”.
“Kicking out the tourists with no manners and attitude. Bali doesn’t need them!!!” another user wrote.
According to recent data by World Population Review, the Bali island in Indonesia has the largest number of Hindus living in Indonesia, with more than 83 per cent of its population belonging to that community. In June this year, Bali released a dos and don’ts list for tourists, in a bid to restore “quality and dignity” to Bali’s tourism sector.
According to the list, trespassing sacred places, climbing sacred trees, taking indecent or nude photos at sacred places, littering, using non-recyclable plastics, misbehaving in public, etc are strictly prohibited.
Failure to comply with the rules include harsh penalties and legal proceedings as per Indonesian law.
More than 200 people have been deported from Bali in the first eight months of the year for unruly tourist behaviour and visa violations, according to news.com.
In April this year, a Russian woman was deported for posting a nude photo of herself in front of a sacred tree.
