Two Polish nationals, Karol Grabinski and Barbara Karina Walczak, have been deported from Bali for violating Nyepi, the day of silence. The couple was found by Balinese traditional guards eating their meals at Purnama Beach in Sukawati on Wednesday, when no one is allowed to stay outside or be in a public area. This caused an argument with the guards who reprimanded them. Village leaders reported the incident to local police who took the couple to Sukawati Police Station. Bali police spokesperson Stefanus Satake Bayu Setianto said the two were taken into the station and handed over to the Denpasar Immigration Office. The couple was expecting to catch a ferry to West Nusa Tenggara, from which they planned to continue to Australia. During Nyepi, which marks the Caka Lunar New Year, all markets, shops, offices, cafes, bars, restaurants and other public spaces are closed, and people on the island are expected to refrain from using all forms of home entertainment, such as televisions, radios and the internet.
Earlier this week, four Russians were deported for visa violations. The four individuals had been cited for violating their visa in Bali by working as trainers for scooter-riding, which they were arrested for two weeks ago, while holding a training for foreign tourists staying on the island for holidays. Bali Governor Wayan Koster, responding to reports of bad behavior and possible criminal activities allegedly committed by Russian and Ukrainian tourists, further proposed an end to visa-on-arrival options for visitors from those two countries, along with a prohibition on foreigners renting motorbikes in an attempt to curb bad behavior from tourists.
