As more and more problematic foreign nationals are getting called out on social media over their misbehavior and violations in Bali, the Bali Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights has asked netizens to tone down the social media vigilantism as it might negatively affect the island’s tourism rep.
The head of the office, Barron Ichsan, said in a press conference yesterday that people should also be mindful of the negative impacts from making every foreigner-related incident go viral.
“What netizens make viral illustrate that Bali is very, very unsafe and this negatively affects the tourism atmosphere in Bali,” Barron said at his office.
The official urged people to instead report any violations to the immigration authorities – including via their official website.
Barron pointed out that the people of Bali have long benefited from tourists, so it is on everyone to keep the peace on the island.
He also denied the assertion that the immigration authorities only act and deport problematic foreigners after they go viral.
Last year, Barron noted, 194 foreigners were deported despite not ever being under the public’s spotlight. They had mostly overstayed their visas and worked illegally in Bali.
In an exclusive interview with Coconuts Bali recently, the admin of @moscow_cabang_bali, an Instagram account that has been the most active in naming and shaming unruly foreigners, said that one of the reasons for the account’s existence was to push the authorities to do their jobs.
Reader Interactions