Second Russian Arrested for Posing Naked Hugging Sacred Tree
Don’t do this. It is disrespectful of the Balinese.
Key Points:
A foreign woman, identified as Luiza Kosykh, was arrested in Bali for posing naked by a 700-year-old sacred tree in Tabanan.
The woman claimed she did not know the tree was sacred and took the picture to "be at one with nature."
Authorities are calling on local administrations to create a handbook or guidance book consisting of dos and don'ts for foreign citizens.
Another Russian woman in Bali has been arrested for posing naked at a sacred tree
Authorities in Bali have arrested a second Russian woman for posing naked by a 700-year-old sacred tree in Tabanan. Luiza Kosykh, who is in Indonesia on an investor visa, claimed that she did not know the tree was sacred and took the picture to "be at one with nature." Barron Ichsan, head of the Immigration Division of the Bali Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, said that Kosykh will be deported from Indonesia imminently. This incident follows last year's arrest of Russian yogi Alina Fazleeva for performing a similar act at the same location.
"We call upon local administrations to speed up the creation of a handbook or guidance book consisting of dos and don’ts for foreign citizens so that they are aware of the things they can and cannot do in Bali,” said Barron Ichsan. Social media activist Ni Luh Djelantik uploaded Kosykh's picture on Instagram on April 11th, which soon went viral and triggered outrage on the island.
Baligram’s Assessment
Disrespecting our hosts’ religious and spiritual sensibilities is not okay. When in Bali, foremost on a tourist's mind should be that we are guests in a country with deeply held beliefs, and this is a big part of why we visit Bali—for the culture and religious experience. If you want to strip off and hug a tree, do it at home.
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