Indonesian authorities hunting foreign national who meditated naked at Hindu shrine
(Representative Image) Foreign national meditated naked at a Hindu shrine in Bali
Authorities of a Bali-based resort in Indonesia are reportedly on thehunt for aforeign national who was seen meditating naked at a sacred Hindu shrine in a viral video.This is not a lone incident to comeout of the island nation. In the past, a slew of such incidents have taken place where tourists were seen or caught disrespecting religious places.
This particular case came to light when a Balinese influencer Ni Luh Djelantik reposted a video of a naked man meditating at a Hindu shrine, gaining hundreds of thousands of views.
Balinese found viral video insulting to their beliefs
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Bali is a predominantly Hindu island with more than 80 per cent of its population practising Hinduism. Balinese people who saw the video found it outrageous and promptly reacted on social media.
“So disrespectful. Meditating nak*d on our temple ? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR F*CKIN MIND? 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," an influencer wrote on Instagram.
Tedy Riyandi, the director of the Immigration Office, said in a statement to the AFP news agency, “We are still conducting investigations regarding this incident.”
Authorities have identified the foreign national but have decided not to disclose his name and nationality as the search goes on.
"The efforts currently being made by the Immigration Office are to contact the foreigner's social media account, but to date, there has been no response," Riyandi said.
He said the search for the foreign national was being coordinated with Bali police and they were still trying to assess the location and time it took place.
Rising cases of hurting sentiments of locals
Bali is a famous tourist destination that attracts millions of foreign visitors annually. In the past, several high-profile cases have been reported on the island nation that saw deportation for such lewd acts.
This year, Bali deported several tourists for hurting the sentiments of the locals with their lewd acts.
In June, a Danish woman was filmed flashing the public while riding a motorbike. In another incident, a Russian woman was also booted off the island in April for posting a nude photo of herself in front of a sacred tree.
In June, the local government also published a guide for tourists who wish to visit Bali after being pressed to do so by the island's immigration office.
(With inputs from agencies)
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