By Two men banned from Indonesia over allegations of hosting discriminatory run club
The events were condemned by Indonesian immigration authorities. (Instagram: @entourage.bali)
In short:
Two Dutch expats have been accused of organising a run club event which rejected locals from participating.
An Indonesian woman said her application would be reviewed, but her husband with a western name was approved.
What’s next?
The organisers have since been banned from Indonesia after saying some, but not all Indonesian phone numbers were incorrectly automatically rejected.
Bali’s Immigration department has banned two Dutch men from Indonesia for organising a run club event ‘fraught with discrimination against local residents’.
It comes after online complaints by Indonesians about the ‘Entourage Bali’ community went viral.
The organisers of the event have been banend from Indonesia and placed on a travel ban list. (Instagram: @entourage.bali)
In a statement, Bali’s Director General of Immigration, Hendarsam Marantoko, said he condemned the event, and that immigration would impose an entry ban on the ‘two foreign nationals involved’.
“The Bali Silent Disco running event organised by foreign nationals (is) suspected of violating regulations and being fraught with discrimination against local residents.”
“This running event represents a state within a state,“
“I have instructed the Bali immigration team to inspect the event organiser, if any foreign nationals are involved, arrest them immediately.”
Immigration officials say the two Dutch men, identified as JAS, 35, and HQV, 37, left Bali for Singapore on Wednesday night.
Officials say they’ve been slapped with an entry ban and placed on the travel ban list.
“Foreigners must not act as though they can establish their own rules and exclusivity within the jurisdiction of Indonesia,” the statement reads.
Immigration officials said foreign nationals were not allowed to manage an event in Indonesia, or act as event organisers.
Alleged bias to western names
A social media post of an Entourage Bali event in May shows a large group of people running through the streets of Canggu, wearing headphones and waving their hands in the air.
On social media, one Indonesian woman said that when she messaged ‘Entourage Bali’ to join the community, she received a message that her application would be reviewed, while her husband’s application with a ‘western name and number’ was accepted immediately.
The organisers said incorrect automated responses had been sent to some hopeful participants. (Threads: @channisaraa)
In a post on social media, Balinese based Indonesian Senator Niluh Djelantik said “our hospitality should never be mistaken for a license to disrespect us.”
On Friday she said she had spoken with immigration officials.
“Utilising public spaces while rejecting local residents is unacceptable,” she said.
Senator Niluh Djelantik said the apparent rejection of locals was unacceptable. (ABC News: Tim Swanston)
Run club responds
In a statement posted on its social media pages, Entourage Bali said “we are extremely sorry for the people that have been offended and hurt, and we have never meant to be disrespectful or discriminating to anyone.”
“Entourage was created as a community for digital nomads in Bali to help people who are new to the island connect with others and do fun activities together during their stay … our community includes members from many countries, including Indonesia.”
Entourage Bali said that Indonesians made up “the largest group of participants” in the silent disco run, “representing representing nearly 25% of all tickets sold.”
“However, we have made errors in the automated approval process for our WhatsApp groups,
“While we were trying to create a place where digital nomads could meet, a bias was created that some (and not all) +62 numbers / Indonesians were incorrectly rejected.“
“We are pausing all our events and activities for now. We take full accountability for what has happened and promise we will make real changes going forward.”
The organisers said 25 per cent of ticket holders were indonesian. (Instagram: @entourage.bali)
The ABC has contacted Entourage Bali for comment.
Visa understanding urged
This blacklisting comes as Bali immigration cracks down on foreign nationals working while on a tourist visa.
On the Australian Smartraveller website it urges Australians to ‘understand your visa conditions’.
“It’s illegal to work, conduct research or volunteer if you’re on a tourist visa. This includes creating or posting online content for payment or commercial purposes.”
“Indonesian authorities may consider it a breach of visa conditions if you create content for commercial purposes while you’re on a tourist visa, even if the content is published after you’ve departed Indonesia.”
Originally published on www.abc.net.au — View original
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