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Resty Woro Yuniar

A running club in Bali’s expatriate hub of Canggu has become the latest flashpoint in an enduring debate over whether Indonesians are being sidelined in parts of their own country.
Indonesian immigration authorities have blacklisted two Dutch nationals linked to Entourage running club after an online outcry over the alleged exclusion of locals from the popular group.
The incident echoes long-standing concerns about discrimination against Indonesians on the resort island.
The furore has also underlined the challenge facing law enforcement as officials try to rein in foreign-run activities suspected of breaching immigration and business rules, despite recent efforts to stop the practice early.

The controversy flared after several Indonesian residents in Bali shared screenshots showing their attempts to join the Canggu-based club, which had organised early-morning silent disco runs in May and June.
In one viral post, an Indonesian woman revealed that her application was denied by Entourage after indicating her nationality, whereas her German boyfriend received approval.
“Some Indonesians did say that they got the invitation [to join the club] but their phone numbers were not started with +62,” the woman said on Threads on July 20. “Excluding a certain nationality or race [from the club] is just pure racism.”
Another Indonesian in Bali said she finally became an Entourage member after her applications were rejected twice, but she was “still unable to get access to their WhatsApp group chats without any decent, proper reasons given”.
The alleged exclusion of Indonesians gained the attention of Ni Luh Djelantik, a Balinese senator famous for exposing misbehaving tourists on the island, who reported it to the immigration office.
“Bali is welcoming, but our hospitality should never be mistaken for a licence to disrespect us. Utilising public spaces while rejecting local residents is unacceptable,” she said in an Instagram post on July 25.


Facing intense backlash, Entourage suspended its activities and denied the allegation, saying that Indonesians made up the largest group of participants in its last organised run in June.
“However, we have made errors in the automated approval process for our WhatsApp groups and non-running events,” the club said in a statement on July 25.
“While we were trying to create a place where digital nomads could meet, a bias was created that some (and not all) +62 numbers / Indonesians were incorrectly rejected.”
The backlash forced the club’s two Dutch founders to flee to Singapore on Wednesday evening, Hendarsam Marantoko, the immigration director general, told reporters on Friday, as cited by Antara. A re-entry ban was issued against the two, he said.
“There should not be a state within a state,” Hendarsam said. “Foreign nationals cannot create their own rules or exclusivity within Indonesia’s jurisdiction.”
The Dutchmen also violated immigration rules by organising events without the required permits, he said, adding that his office had summoned the company that sponsored the Dutchmen’s visas to explain their activities in Indonesia.

‘Micro-discrimination’
The incident has resurfaced the allegation that racism and colourism are alive and well in Bali, driven not only by foreigners but also by local establishments prioritising white-skinned tourists over domestic visitors.
Lorraine Riva, an Indonesian native who is now a Dutch citizen, said she had been subjected to “micro-discrimination” by local businesses while holidaying in Bali with her Dutch family over the years.
“In 2007, I wanted to buy cute upholstery, pillowcases and bedsheets in a boutique on Seminyak Road. I asked the seller ‘How much is this?’ but the seller replied, ‘Oh, it’s expensive, you won’t be able to afford it’,” Riva told This Week in Asia.
“You buy groceries late at night, and the staff just tell you the price without a glance. But as soon as a white customer or a non-Asian foreigner steps up behind you, it’s suddenly ‘Hi, how are you?’ You feel that difference immediately.”
Riva cited a 2011 incident where a Balinese restaurant did not offer an explanation for denying entry to her Indonesian sister, who arrived late for a family dinner. Riva said she cancelled a “huge tip” for the restaurant for “being racist towards my sister”.
The 53-year-old also said she had heard from several hospitality workers in Bali that Indonesian tourists were perceived as “stingy, bargaining too low, and bossy”, and that foreigners were easier to cater to.
“I actually don’t want to visit Bali any more,” said Riva, who now lives in Huissen in the Netherlands. “I now feel a bit contemptuous of Bali.”
Arya Wedakarna, a member of the Regional Representative Council from Bali, said there was a lingering myth on the island that “those who spend a lot, who don’t haggle over the [prices] of their food, are indeed foreigners”.
He urged entrepreneurs and Balinese people to abandon and “fix” the mindset so that “there would be no discrimination whatsoever” on the island.

Foreign-run businesses
According to Arya, the Entourage case is just “the tip of the iceberg” of the unauthorised businesses trend run by foreigners in Bali due to “inadequate oversight by officials on all levels, from the village to Bali provincial government”.
Officials have tightened supervision of foreigners working under improper permits on the island, including a recent immigration crackdown on digital nomads and influencers who create social media content in exchange for free products, luxury resort stays or spa treatments instead of money.
Sugi Lanus, a Balinese cultural expert, said “local customary decency” must be reinforced, alongside law enforcement, to eradicate illegal commercial activities.
“Millions of people come to Bali with diverse educational backgrounds and humanitarian qualities. It’s natural for clashes to arise, but the important thing is to adhere to the law and local customary etiquette,” he said.


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Indonesia

Participants during one of Entourage’s activities in Bali, Indonesia. Photo: Handout

Some Indonesian residents in Bali say they have been excluded from joining the Canggu-based Entourage running club. Photo: Handout

Tourists walk along a street in Sanur, Bali, Indonesia, in June. Photo: EPA

Entourage has denied excluding Indonesians from its activities. Photo: Handout

Indonesian immigration authorities have blacklisted two Dutch nationals linked to Entourage running club after an online outcry over the alleged exclusion of locals from the group. Photo: Handout

Then Indonesian central bank governor Perry Warjiyo speaks during a press conference at Bank Indonesia’s headquarters in Jakarta in January last year. Photo: Reuters

A teller counts rupiah bank notes at a money changer in Jakarta. The Indonesian currency has been trading above the 18,000 mark to the dollar in recent sessions. Photo: Reuters

An attendant refuels vehicles at a fuel station in Manila earlier this month. Asia and the rest of the world continue to experience fluctuating fuel prices due to the Iran war. Photo: EPA

Indonesia’s Bali financial hub ‘a matter of survival’: economic tsar

Luhut Pandjaitan, chairman of Indonesia’s National Economic Council, at the Nusa Dua Forum in Bali, Indonesia, on July 17. Photo: Nora Tam

People walk through a beach residence district of UAE financial hub Dubai on Tuesday. Luhut was sceptical of the notion that Indonesia couldn’t compete with established financial hubs. Photo: AFP

Stock prices are displayed on a board at the Indonesian Stock Exchange building in Jakarta last month. Indonesia suffered a major market rout earlier this year. Photo: EPA

Indonesian students eat free school meals in Banda Aceh earlier this year. The programme’s budget has been slashed by more than 100 trillion rupiah from its original allocation. Photo: EPA

Indonesia’s then president Joko Widodo (middle) walks with the head of presidential staff Luhut Panjaitan (right) in Jakarta in 2015. Photo: Reuters

Bali’s ‘big leap’: from holiday paradise to international financial centre

(From left) Zuraidah Ibrahim, executive editor, South China Morning Post; Tengku Zafrul Aziz, chairman, Malaysia Investment Development Authority; Pandu Sjahrir, chief investment oﬃcer, Danantara Indonesia; Widiyanti Putri Wardhana, minister of tourism, Ministry of Tourism of Indonesia; Rosan Perkasa Roeslani, CEO, Danantara Indonesia; Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, chairman, National Economic Council, Indonesia; Tammy Tam, publisher, South China Morning Post; Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan, deputy secretary for justice, Department of Justice, government of Hong Kong; and Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung, member of Executive Council, government of Hong Kong, pose for a group photo at the Nusa Dua Forum in Bali on Friday. Photo: Nora Tam

SCMP publisher Tammy Tam delivers welcome remarks at the Nusa Dua Forum in Bali on Friday. Photo: Nora Tam

Hong Kong’s Deputy Secretary for Justice Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan addresses the Nusa Dua Forum in Bali on Friday. Photo: Nora Tam

Luhut Pandjaitan, chairman of Indonesia’s National Economic Council, speaks at the Nusa Dua Forum in Bali on Friday. Photo: Nora Tam

Tengku Zafrul Aziz, chairman of Malaysian Investment Development Authority, speaks during a panel discussion at the Nusa Dua Forum in Bali on Friday. Photo: Nora Tam

Indonesia’s Bali cracks down on digital nomads, influencers working on tourist visas

Tourists spend time at a beach in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia, on Wednesday. Photo: EPA

Tourists walk along a street in Sanur, Bali, Indonesia, in June. Bali has set up a new immigration patrol team aimed at monitoring foreigners. Photo: EPA

Tourists look inside a shop in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, in June. Photo: EPA

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The alleged exclusion of Indonesians from the running group has resurfaced claims that racism and colourism are well and alive in Bali


The alleged exclusion of Indonesians from the running group has resurfaced claims that racism and colourism are well and alive in Bali.


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‘Micro-discrimination’ against Indonesians? Bali run club controversy revives concerns

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The alleged exclusion of Indonesians from the running group has resurfaced claims that racism and colourism are well and alive in Bali

The alleged exclusion of Indonesians from the running group has resurfaced claims that racism and colourism are well and alive in Bali