Onboard the first Air New Zealand direct flight to Bali since 2019. Video / Sarah Pollok
Indonesian authorities have reportedly arrested a woman for posing naked with a sacred tree in Bali – the second woman to do so within a year.
Last year, a Russian yogi and social media influencer was deported after posing nude against the sacred 700-year-old Kayu Putih tree and uploading photos online.
The incident made international headlines and following public backlash, Alina Fazleeva deleted the images and posted an apology video, which showed her fully clothed and praying at the base of the sacred tree while she stated her “regret”.
Now a second woman has been called out for posing naked with the same tree.
Balinese entrepreneur Ni Luh Djelantik, who called on authorities to intervene in Fazleeva’s case last year, shared an image of the second woman on Instagram this week.
Local news site Coconuts Bali reported that the head of the Denpasar Immigration Office, Tedy Riyandi, told the publication the woman had been apprehended and more details about the case would be released soon. Her identity has not been confirmed.
Djelantik tagged a woman in her post who described herself as a “spiritual lover, energy giver and healer” on Instagram, but her account has since been deleted.
News.com.au has contacted the Indonesian Directorate General of Immigration for further information.
The sacred Kayu Putih tree, also known as the Bayan Ancient Tree, is behind a temple in the village of Bayan in Bali’s Tabanan regency. It is believed to be about 700 years old.
Alina Fazleeva and her husband Amdrei Fazleev at a press conference after taking the naked shots. Photo / Sonny Tumbelaka, AFP
When Fazleeva and her husband were deported last year over her naked photos, Bali immigration chief Jamaruli Manihuruk said the couple had endangered public order.
“They have carried out activities that endangered public order and were disrespectful to the local norms, so they are sanctioned with deportation,” he said at a press conference.
Bali authorities are fed-up with misbehaving foreigners. Most recently, there has been talk of imposing a tax on tourists.
Bali’s governor has also flagged a proposed ban on tourists using motorbikes and requested Russian and Ukrainian tourists to no longer be allowed to get a visa on arrival in the country. Hotel workers are being instructed to educate foreign guests on what they can and can’t do, and there is an official campaign cracking down on unruly behaviour with large billboards expected to be installed.
In the first three months of the year, 620 foreigners were deported from Indonesia, according to Indonesia’s director general of immigration Silmy Karim.
Violations included misusing visas and residence permits, overstaying, disrupting public order, misbehaving, and not complying with Indonesian regulations.
