Local authorities in Bali took a 39-year-old American woman to Sanglah General Hospital yesterday afternoon after she allegedly tried to jump from the second floor of the immigration office.
The woman, identified by her initials JA, was initially apprehended by officers from the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) in Badung regency after local residents grew concerned about her behavior.
“She would bang on the doors of local residents, and she wouldn’t tell her name or where she’s from when questioned,” I Gusti Agung Ketut Suryanegara, who heads Satpol PP Badung, said.
JA had reportedly been wandering around Canggu with a dog on Tuesday evening, and acted as if nothing was wrong even after randomly banging on doors. A local resident followed her until she stopped at an empty open garage and sat down, and she was then advised to take shelter at the local police station. JA refused, prompting a visit from Satpol PP officers, who then handed her over to immigration.
Authorities suspected she might be depressed, as she reportedly threw a fit and attempted to jump off the second floor of the immigration office.
“She tried to jump but immigration officers managed to hold her off,” I Putu Surya Dharma, a spokesman from the regional office for the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, said.
JA has since been taken to Sanglah General Hospital in Denpasar for a medical examination, with immigration officers saying that they didn’t manage to get enough information about her when she was briefly questioned.
Officials said she arrived in Indonesia in March and noted that authorities are in touch with the American consulate in Bali about her situation.
“We couldn’t get more information. The foreigner was in a state of depression as described by Satpol PP officers, and we could see that after she tried to jump. While she was at the immigration office there was not much information we could get from her,” Surya said.
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