Russian woman deported from Bali over nude photo on sacred tree
Published on: Sunday, April 23, 2023
By: AFP
Kosykh being escorted to board her flight to Moscow. - Pic by Denpasar.com
JAKARTA: A Russian woman who posted a nude photo of herself in front of a sacred tree has been deported from Bali, an official said recently, the latest incident involving indelicate tourist acts on the Indonesian resort island.
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The 40-year-old woman, identified as Luiza Kosykh, left Bali's Denpasar to Moscow, Bali legal and human rights agency official I Nengah Sukadana told AFP, just days after she was nabbed by immigration officials.
Kosykh was arrested after her nude photo in front of the 700-year-old banyan went viral, angering local Hindus who revere the tree as sacred.
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She claimed the nude photograph was taken a few years ago and did not know the tree was considered sacred.
The Russian, who claims to be a property investor, entered Bali in January using a temporary-stay visa which would have been valid until December of next year.
Her deportation came less than two weeks after a Russian man got booted off the island for posting a photograph of himself half-naked atop a sacred mountain.
The palm-fringed hotspot has vowed a crackdown on misbehaving tourists after several incidents, including acts of disrespect to the predominantly Hindu island's culture.
The immigration department said it pushed the local government to finish a guide for tourists visiting Bali.
"Not all tourists know what's allowed and not allowed in Bali. Therefore we urge the locals to observe their environment to prevent the incident from repeating," local legal and human rights agency official Anggiat Napitupulu told a press conference recently.
