YouTubers could be deported from Bali over fake mask prank
Authorities were not impressed with the duo who broke local mask laws.
As the world
continues to battle the coronavirus, many around the world are still
dying at a fast rate as the virus continues to spread. While vaccine efforts
are currently underway, people around the world wear masks in order to stop the
spread of the deadly virus. So, when two YouTubers in Bali pulled a prank which
depicted one of them breaking local mask laws, authorities stepped in.
Josh Paler Lin and Leia Se have recently had their passports
seized and could face deportation from Indonesia after jetting off to Bali on vacation
and pulling off a prank which saw Se trying to enter a local grocery store where
she was turned away for not wearing a mask. A video of the prank then shows Se
returning to the store with a face mask painted on her face, tricking staff into
believing that she was wearing a face mask.
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Indonesia is a country that has been strictly enforcing the wearing of masks. The law details that police are allowed to issue fines on the first offence and deport foreigners on the second offence.
Though this was Lin's and Se's first known offence, the virality of the video, which has drawn much attention to the country, saw Balinese authorities seize both of their passports. According to police reports, Lin is reportedly from Taiwan but lives in the United States, while Se is a Russian citizen.
"They will be examined together with Immigration to
take the decision on whether or not to deport them," I Putu Surya Dharma,
a spokesman from the regional office for the Ministry of Law and Human Rights
in Bali, said in a statement.
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The video has since been removed from Lin’s YouTube page and has been replaced by a formal apology on his Instagram account.
"The intention to make this video was not at all to disrespect or invite everyone to not wear mask," Lin says. "I make this video to entertain people because I am a content creator and it is my job to entertain people. We promise not to do it again."
Local authorities have confirmed that, since Bali is such a popular tourist destination, they have issued 8,864 fines or tickets for mask non-compliance in a single week. The country, which relies heavily on tourism, has had 1.6-million diagnosed cases of the virus and about 45,000 deaths.
Image courtesy: YouTube