Influencers face deportation from Bali over 'provocative' prank
A pair of Instagram influencers could be deported from Bali over an irresponsible stunt that has been labelled "deliberately provoking".
A video uploaded to social media showed the Russian female wearing face paint instead of a face mask inside a Balinese supermarket.
Her boyfriend, from Taiwan, wore a real face mask, but laughed while filming his partner making her way through the aisles, even stopping at one point to chat with a local.
The original post, which has been removed, led to widespread uproar online, drawing the attention of the Indonesian government which has since seized both of their passports, local news site Coconuts reported.
The pair, who have a combined 350,000 Instagram followers, regularly film prank videos together before uploading them to social media.
Stunt sparks outrage online
Hundreds left critical comments when their latest video was reposted by an account on Instagram, labelling the couple "lazy" and disrespectful.
"More and more people are lazy to work on their brains just rely on funny videos so they get people's attention and earn money," one comment read.
"[I'm] afraid that she is the one who transmits Covid to everyone," another wrote.
Bali's Civil Service Police Unit, Satpol PP, officers were to question the duo about the stunt earlier this week, spokesperson for the Ministry of Law and Human Rights I Putu Surya Dharma said.
"After that they will be examined together with Immigration to take the decision on whether or not to deport them,” she said.
The head of Satpol PP Bali would also be recommending to the immigration department that the foreigners be deported because their actions violated propriety, according to the publication.
“They are not only violating, but deliberately provoking in public, so it’s only proper to sanction them more severely, not just with a fine but also deportation,” he said.
Foreign nationals can face a penalty of IDR1 million (A$90) if they are caught not wearing a mask once, with further breaches making them eligible for deportation.
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