Russian tourist deported from Bali over half-naked photo on sacred peak
DENPASAR, Indonesia - A Russian tourist has been deported from Bali after posting a photograph of himself half-naked atop a sacred mountain, officials on the Indonesian holiday island said on Wednesday.
The palm-fringed hotspot has vowed a crackdown on misbehaving tourists after a spate of incidents including acts of disrespect to the predominantly Hindu island’s culture.
The 24-year-old Russian national, who calls himself Yuri Chilikin on social media, posed naked from the waist down on Mount Agung, Bali’s highest peak, which Hindus on the island believe to be home to their gods.
He was deported on Tuesday to Moscow via Dubai, and was barred from entering Indonesia for at least six months, the immigration office in Bali said in a statement on Wednesday.
After being detained and questioned when the image surfaced in March, he apologised before being forced to take part in a cleansing ritual in front of the mountain.
Mr Chilikin posted an image on Monday of the ritual on Instagram with a caption that read “I did everything to correct this situation”, and that it was “a good lesson on how not to behave”.
Complaints about tourists behaving badly in Bali have been increasing in recent weeks, with Russians accused by some angry Balinese on social media of being repeat offenders.
Bali Governor Wayan Koster sent a letter to Indonesia’s government in March calling for the removal of visa-on-arrival privileges for Russian and Ukrainian tourists.
In 2022, a Canadian actor was deported from Bali after a video went viral of him naked at Mount Batur, which is considered holy, while doing the Haka, New Zealand’s Maori ceremonial dance.
“Please enjoy the beauty of nature... in Bali by adhering to the regulations,” immigration official Barron Ichsan said Wednesday.
“If you commit a violation, we will not hesitate to take firm action.” — AFP
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