Bali Police Launch Investigation Into Frisky Foreigners Filmed On Beach

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Residents, visitors, and authorities in Bali have been shocked by a viral video of a foreign couple having sex on what is believed to be Pererenan Beach, Canggu. Badung Police have launched an investigation into the incident and are inviting anyone who has any information to come forward. 

The video is 2-minutes and 50-seconds long and was recorded by two Balinese men who were unsure what to do. They recorded the video on Thursday 16th of June and by the time they woke in the morning the video had been plastered all over local social media and online news sites. 

The video is taken from afar and the couple can be seen by the lights from the village buildings close to the beachfront. The voices can be heard saying ‘at this hour where can we find pecalang?’. Pecalang are traditional Balinese village security.

The two men who recorded the video can also be heard asking rhetorically ‘why not in your hotel room?’. They also speculate whether they should go and intervene but think better of it, assuming that they would be ignored or get themselves into trouble. 

Instead, unable to find pecalang or local police they posted the video online with the geo-tag for Pererenan Beach. Commentators have suggested that it may not be Pererenan Beach but certainly a location along the beaches in the Canggu area. 

Local newspapers have also got a hold of the story and with headlines outraging at the couple ‘wikwik’ on the beach. Indonesia is a very conservative country; public nudity and sex in a public space are illegal and discussion of sex is also taboo. This is why the slang term ‘wikwik’ has been used to describe the incident, and communities are not hiding their outrage.

The Head of the Mengwi Police, Kompol I Nyoman Darsana, spoke to local reports and confirmed that his police department is looking into the incident. It is anticipated that should the couple be identified that they will be arrested and charged, this would lead to serious fines and potentially deportation. 

Authorities in Bali is cracking down on tourists and foreign residents who disobey the law, or disrespect Balinese culture. This week an Australian tourist was caught climbing a sacred tree in a temple complex in Abiantuwung Village, Kediri, Tabanan.

Samuel Lockton was bought in for questioning by police after the incident and confessed to climbing the tree in the temple and climbing two other trees in the Canggu area for content for his social media. He was instructed to participate in a cleansing ritual at the temple and to apologize to the community for his actions. 

Despite attending the cleansing ceremony, Lockton will be deported in the coming days. Immigration teams in Bali have publicly deported two other tourists in recent weeks, and another fled Bali before she could be called in for questioning. Authorities, communities, and respectful visitors to Bali are tired and frustrated with incidences such as these happening on a near-weekly basis.

While Bali has a reputation as being a holiday destination where travelers can truly let their hair down, it is not a place without rules. Bali is a deeply spiritual island, communities across Bali are proud of the culture and work hard to ensure that their heritage is respected. 

In recent weeks a Russian influencer was deported after she posed naked for a photoshoot in the roots of a sacred Banyan tree in a temple complex. A Canadian actor and influencer were also deported for doing the Haka naked at the summit of sacred Mount Batur.

Shortly after their deportation, an Estonian model fled Bali after she found herself in a social media storm after accusing Bali police of corruption when she was pulled over for a traffic violation.