For most of last year, thousands of Russians and Ukrainians flocked to the Indonesian island of Bali to escape the war. There they found refuge in a tropical paradise where locals rolled out the welcome mat for Ukrainians fleeing the shelling and Russians dodging the draft.
Then, a Russian influencer scaled a 700-year-old sacred tree, naked. After that, a Russian street artist painted an antiwar mural on a private house, and a Russian teenager was caught vandalising a school.
A string of recent motorbike collisions involving Russians and Ukrainians has raised questions about traffic safety on the island.
Now, the once-welcoming Balinese people have had enough. Confronted with a barrage of complaints, the governor of Bali, Wayan Koster, announced earlier this month that he asked the Indonesian government to revoke Russia’s and Ukraine’s access to the country’s visa-on-arrival program.
He said many of those who have flocked to Bali to avoid the war have not only violated a number of local laws but have been seeking jobs while on short-term tourist visas.
The Balinese have long endured badly behaved touristsin mostly isolated incidents. Now, they complain regularly of half-naked foreigners riding motorbikes and desecrating objects that are considered sacred on the predominantly Hindu island.
“It’s like they live in a bubble and they don’t care about what’s outside the bubble,” said I Wayan Pardika, 33, a Balinese tour guide for a hotel. “For them, it is OK to be half naked, with only a bikini and driving around without a helmet. ”
The Balinese were initially sympathetic to the plight of the new émigrés. Many extended credit for car and home rentals to Russians, who found themselves cut off from the international payments system because of sanctions. After being sealed off for two years during the pandemic,they were eager for income.
But later, they discovered that many Russians had taken on jobs on the island — as surfing instructors and tour guides. Some started their own car and home rental businesses, violating the laws governing tourist visas and taking away from local income.
Many Balinese say part of the issue is that the authorities are struggling to cope with the sudden influx of Russians, who now make up the second-biggest group of tourists on the island after Australians. Last year, 58,000 Russians and 7,000 Ukrainians visited Bali.
In May 2022, the Indonesiangovernment added Russia and Ukraine to the list of countries eligible for its visa-on-arrival program. The visas allow Russians and Ukrainians and citizens from 85 other countries to stay for an initial period of 30 days, and for another 30 days if they apply for anextension.
Bali’s tourism agency said it would put up signs in English, Russian and Ukrainian next week, urging tourists to follow “common-sense rules. ” “Do not post vulgar pictures to social media,” readone poster. “Confine skimpy beachwear to appropriate venues. ” Offenders, it warned, would face “large fines and deportations. ”
Then, a Russian influencer scaled a 700-year-old sacred tree, naked. After that, a Russian street artist painted an antiwar mural on a private house, and a Russian teenager was caught vandalising a school.
A string of recent motorbike collisions involving Russians and Ukrainians has raised questions about traffic safety on the island.
Now, the once-welcoming Balinese people have had enough. Confronted with a barrage of complaints, the governor of Bali, Wayan Koster, announced earlier this month that he asked the Indonesian government to revoke Russia’s and Ukraine’s access to the country’s visa-on-arrival program.
He said many of those who have flocked to Bali to avoid the war have not only violated a number of local laws but have been seeking jobs while on short-term tourist visas.
The Balinese have long endured badly behaved touristsin mostly isolated incidents. Now, they complain regularly of half-naked foreigners riding motorbikes and desecrating objects that are considered sacred on the predominantly Hindu island.
“It’s like they live in a bubble and they don’t care about what’s outside the bubble,” said I Wayan Pardika, 33, a Balinese tour guide for a hotel. “For them, it is OK to be half naked, with only a bikini and driving around without a helmet. ”
The Balinese were initially sympathetic to the plight of the new émigrés. Many extended credit for car and home rentals to Russians, who found themselves cut off from the international payments system because of sanctions. After being sealed off for two years during the pandemic,they were eager for income.
But later, they discovered that many Russians had taken on jobs on the island — as surfing instructors and tour guides. Some started their own car and home rental businesses, violating the laws governing tourist visas and taking away from local income.
Many Balinese say part of the issue is that the authorities are struggling to cope with the sudden influx of Russians, who now make up the second-biggest group of tourists on the island after Australians. Last year, 58,000 Russians and 7,000 Ukrainians visited Bali.
In May 2022, the Indonesiangovernment added Russia and Ukraine to the list of countries eligible for its visa-on-arrival program. The visas allow Russians and Ukrainians and citizens from 85 other countries to stay for an initial period of 30 days, and for another 30 days if they apply for anextension.
Bali’s tourism agency said it would put up signs in English, Russian and Ukrainian next week, urging tourists to follow “common-sense rules. ” “Do not post vulgar pictures to social media,” readone poster. “Confine skimpy beachwear to appropriate venues. ” Offenders, it warned, would face “large fines and deportations. ”