UPDATE April 26: It appears that the influencers have made their Instagram profiles public again, where the most recent post is an apology video. They said that they did not intend to encourage people not to wear masks, adding that the video was made “to entertain people.” You can watch the full video here.
The two foreign influencers who drew flak online after pulling a face paint mask prank in Bali have had their passports seized, Indonesian immigration confirmed, as authorities consider deporting them for their viral stunt.
I Putu Surya Dharma, a spokesman from the regional office for the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, confirmed the passport seizure today, explaining that Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) officers will question the foreigners tomorrow afternoon. The woman has been identified as a Russian national, while the man is a Taiwanese national.
“After that they will be examined together with Immigration to take the decision on whether or not to deport them,” Surya said today.
Separately, the head of Satpol PP Bali I Dewa Nyoman Rai Dharmadi said that the agency will issue a recommendation letter for Immigration to deport the two foreigners, saying that their actions violate propriety.
“They are not only violating, but deliberately provoking in public, so it’s only proper to sanction them more severely, not just with a fine but also deportation,” Dewa said.
Under Bali’s mandatory mask rule, laid out in a gubernatorial regulation, foreign nationals are subject to a fine of IDR1 million (US$68.76) if they are caught without masks the first time, while a second violation may subject them to deportation from Indonesia.
