A British tourist was escorted by local authorities to a mental hospital in Bangli regency yesterday after he allegedly exhibited disturbing behavior and threatened other guests with a sharp weapon at the villa he was staying at.
“We suspect he might be stressed, so he was detained by pecalang (traditional Balinese security forces). Maybe he ran out of money,” I Made Watha, who heads Gianyar regency’s Public Order Police (Satpol PP), told Kumparan.
The tourist, identified by his initials AR in local media, appeared to have been carried by four pecalang officers in a video posted on Instagram by @jeg.bali.
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The incident reportedly occurred yesterday afternoon, when AR entered a public area of the Ubud villa he was staying at and started brandishing a knife at the guests there.
“We don’t know where he got his knife, but the most important thing is that the situation has been secured,” Watha added.
The pecalang then handed AR over to Satpol PP, who proceeded to take him to Bangli Mental Hospital.
Bali has recently seen a rising number of cases involving tourists seemingly suffering from mental health disorders. Last month, Satpol PP also escorted a Russian tourist to Bangli Mental Hospital after she allegedly exhibited disturbing behavior at her villa, also located in Ubud.
Bali immigration previously said foreign tourists who have ran out of money or are pretending to be beggars will be reported and sent to their respective embassies.
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