A video surfaced on social media showing a foreigner playing the ukulele and singing to entertain visitors at Ubud market. The post quickly gained comments, with locals either criticizing or supporting the musician. The viral video also caught the attention of the police.
Among the comments were statements like: "Foreigners are tourists, they are not allowed to do such things, and especially not make money from it. Only Indonesian citizens should be allowed to do that." Another user shared the opinion that in Hong Kong, it's perfectly normal for foreigners to sing on the streets. The same goes for many European countries like France, Spain, and England. If this impromptu performance doesn’t disturb anyone, it's fine—it’s just a hobby, like skateboarding or surfing. If someone passing by gives him money, that’s not a problem either because the foreigner wasn't performing for profit; it’s simply a gesture of appreciation. "If the foreigner isn’t asking for money but receives it voluntarily, I don’t see any violation," he said.
The head of Gianyar police, I Made Watha, confirmed that he had received reports about the foreigner singing at the traditional market in Ubud. "It’s true that a foreigner was performing outside Ubud market. We investigated the case and found out he was doing it for fun, not for money. Yesterday, we tried to find the person from the video, but he was no longer at the market," Watha said. He added that, in general, he doesn't mind if tourists entertain themselves, as seen in the viral video, as long as it’s done as a hobby and not solely for profit, and doesn’t disrupt traffic or other tourists.
"It’s fine, but we will keep an eye on travelers behaving this way. If it becomes disruptive or is clearly for financial gain, we will take action," he concluded.
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