An influencer faces expulsion from Bali after becoming the second woman in less than a year to pose naked with the same 700-year-old sacred tree. On Wednesday, 12th of April, a local activist and businesswoman, Ni Luh Djelantik, published a series of images of the influencer standing with the Kayu Putih tree at the rear of a temple in Tabanan, approximately 23 kilometres northwest of Denpasar.
The same 700-year-old Kayu Putih sacred tree was the subject of a similar incident last year that resulted in the deportation of a Russian yogi and social media influencer named Alina Fazleeva for doing the same act.
In response to criticism, Ms Fazleeva deleted the pictures and posted a video of herself fully dressed and worshipping at the base of the revered tree. Ni Luh Djelantik, who called for the government to get involved in the yogi & influencer’s case last year, posted pictures of Ms Kosykh, a Russian influencer on Instagram with the caption:
‘To those tourists who abuse our territory, Bali is our home – not yours!’
Meanwhile, a similar tone was carried by netizens in the comment section of the photos.
‘Do you think you’ll look good shooting nude photos of our sacred trees?
‘If you can’t respect our traditions and culture, return to your country!’
Those are several comments found in Ms Djelantik’s comment section.
Barron Ichsan, the Director of the Immigration Division at the Bali office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, claimed during a news conference on Saturday, the 15th of April, that the Russian influencer had admitted to police that she shot the photo with her companion to “be at one with nature.”
Mr Ichsan admitted that these images might be interpreted and valued as works of art, but he emphasized that there are better settings for such artwork to be produced than a sacred tree.
Authorities in Bali are trying to stop rowdy behaviour because they are tired of rude tourists. According to Silmy Karim, Indonesia’s director general of immigration, 620 foreigners were expelled in just the first three months of 2023.
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