(Photo: Handout / BALI IMMIGRATION OFFICE / AFP)
A Canadian actor and selfproclaimed wellness guru has been expelled from the Indonesian island of Bali after a video of him dancing naked on a sacred mountain went viral.
Jeffrey Craigen has posted a video of himself performing the haka, a ceremonial dance from New Zealand’s Maori culture, naked atop Mount Batur, a volcano many Balinese hold sacred.
He was arrested and interrogated on Monday following numerous complaints from netizens who accused him of not respecting the island’s religious values.
Craigen is awaiting deportation but officials say the airlines don’t want to take him on because he hasn’t been vaccinated against Covid19.
“The airlines did not agree (to transport him),” said AFP Tedy Riyandi, head of the Denpasar city immigration department.
The actor will be placed on a list that will prevent him from entering Bali in the near future, officials said.
Craigen has been in Indonesia since late 2019 as a tourist and student of alternative treatments for osteoporosis, said Bali Migration Office head Jamaruli Manihuruk.
The Canadian claimed he didn’t know the mountain was a sacred place.
“To all foreigners visiting Bali, please conduct yourself in accordance with our law and cultural values,” Manihuruk said.