Indonesian police have arrested a Russian influencer for posing under a sacred tree in Bali.
If this sounds like deja vu, that’s because this is the second time this has happened in a year.
Last year, a Russian yoga social media influencer was deported after she posed naked under the 700-year-old weeping paperbark tree, known locally as kayu putih.
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Alina Fazleeva, known as Alina Yoga by her thousands of followers, posted the images on her social media account, which soon found their way to Balinese entrepreneur Ni Luh Djelantik, who called on the local authorities to intervene.
But now, another influencer has been accused of committing the same crime.
The woman, identified as Luiza Kosykh, took a similar photo of her leaning nude on the sacred tree next to the ancient Babakan Temple in Bayan Village.
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Tedy Riyandi, the head of Denpasar Immigration Officer, confirmed the influencer had been arrested in a post on Instagram.
"Based on reports from the community, next the team from Intelligence and Immigration Action of the Denpasar Immigration Office processed data, and it is known that LK lives in a villa in Perenan Bali," he said in a statement.
"Subsequently, Team Intellakim carried out the pick-up and brought the concerned to the local immigration office for further investigation."
He added that the foreign national 'will be subjected to the sanction of Immigration Administrative Action in the form of deportation and [their] name will be included in the denunciation list if it is proven to violate the public order or disrespect the customs of the local people'.
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Ni Luh Djelantik also shared Luiza’s image on social media and lashed out at her for the stunt.
She posted the caption: “To all foreigner(s) who disrespect our land, Bali is our home, not yours!
“Do you think you’ll look cool taking naked pictures on our holy trees?
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“Go back to your country if you can’t respect our tradition and culture!”
Luiza, whose Instagram account has since been taken down, describes herself as a ‘spiritual lover’, ‘energy giver’ and ‘healer’.
In a separate post, Ni Luh informed followers of the tree’s significance to Balinese culture and why foreigners shouldn't pose with it.
“This tree grows behind a sacred place called Pura Babakan, which was built during the reign of King Perean, and the name Babakan is associated with the tree bark that is cut and used as medicine,” she wrote referring to a post on Indonesia’s Ministry of Finance website.
“It is believed that this giant tree existed before Pura Babakan was built.
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“Until now, the locals believe that the cut bark of the tree (Babakan) has the power to heal various kinds of illnesses, making it a place to ask for medicine.”
She added: “This giant tree is believed to help protect the Old Village with its roots that spread underground.
“It often happens that when villagers build the foundations of their houses, they find the roots of the tree, so they really believe that the roots of this tree spread throughout the Old Village area.”
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