If you recognise yourself in this photo, there is a good chance you will soon face an inspection by the Indonesian immigration authorities.
A rather unexpected scandal is unfolding in Bali. At the centre of it is Entourage Bali, a popular Canggu running club that organises large Silent Disco Runs, where all participants run wearing headphones while a guest DJ plays music for them and accompanies the runners. A photo from one of the latest runs was shared on social media by prominent senator Niluh Djelantik. She accused the organisers of discriminating against Indonesians.
“BALI IS NOT YOUR HOME! TRASH TOURISTS LIKE YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO OUR COUNTRY!!!!
Please check the event permit, as well as the residence permits (visas) of the foreign nationals (WNA) shown in this video. We will send an official letter regarding the alleged discriminatory actions committed against Indonesian citizens (WNI) by a community made up of foreigners.
We look forward to hearing the outcome of the inspection we requested,” she wrote in the photo caption.
The scandal was sparked by screenshots of conversations with Entourage Bali representatives that were posted on social media. They show a prospective member first being asked about their citizenship. After replying that they were Indonesian, they were told they could not be accepted because the platform was intended for foreign digital nomads and expats.
Meanwhile, an application from someone who said they were a German citizen was approved almost immediately. The screenshots quickly spread across Indonesian social media and triggered a wave of criticism.
In the comments under the post, which has already received more than two million views and over 40 thousand likes, Balinese users strongly support Niluh’s outrage:
“Would these foreigners dare to do the same thing in Malaysia or Singapore? Absolutely not... They would be arrested immediately, thrown behind bars and fined... So why do they act so brazenly in our country? Because the rule of law has no authority here, so foreigners have no respect for it either... Am I right or not??” one commenter wrote.
“They really aren’t afraid of our laws... Because they know that the law can be bought in Indonesia...” another user agreed.
After the story attracted widespread attention, Entourage Bali posted an official apology on its page.
The organisers said they had “never intended to disrespect or discriminate against anyone” and that the community had originally been created for digital nomads regardless of nationality.
According to them, the scandal was caused by an error in the automated application approval system: because of incorrect settings, some, but not all, users with Indonesian +62 phone numbers were mistakenly rejected.
As evidence, the club cited statistics from its latest run, which showed that Indonesians were the largest group of participants, accounting for 23,4% of all tickets sold.
Despite this, Entourage accepted responsibility for what happened, announced the suspension of all its events and promised to “make real changes” to prevent a similar situation from happening again.
