Indonesia’s Bali to deport Canadian man for dancing naked on sacred mountain
- Jeffrey Craigen posted a video of himself in the nude doing the Haka on top of Mount Batur, a volcano considered holy by many Balinese
- The actor and wellness guru, in Indonesia since 2019 to study alternative treatments for osteoporosis, claimed he did not know the mountain was a holy site
A Canadian actor and self-proclaimed wellness guru is facing deportation from Indonesia’s Bali island after a video of him dancing naked on a sacred mountain went viral.
Jeffrey Craigen posted a video of himself doing the Haka – a ceremonial dance in New Zealand’s Maori culture – while nude on top of Mount Batur, a volcano considered holy by many Balinese.
He was detained and questioned on Monday following a deluge of complaints from social media users accusing him of disrespecting Balinese religious values.
Craigen is currently awaiting deportation – but authorities say airlines are reluctant to help because he is not vaccinated against Covid-19.
“Airlines have not agreed (to transport him),” the head of Denpasar immigration office Tedy Riyandi said on Tuesday. He will be put on a blacklist preventing him from entering Bali for the foreseeable future, officials said.
Craigen has been in Indonesia since late 2019 as a tourist and to study alternative treatments for osteoporosis, the head of Bali’s immigration office Jamaruli Manihuruk said. He has claimed he did not know the mountain was a holy site.
“To all foreigners who visit Bali, please act accordingly by respecting our law and Balinese cultural values,” Manihuruk said.