A drunk Australian in Bali had to be locked inside a mini-mart before he could be arrested for allegedly attacking an Indonesian man.
Bystanders were forced to lock the man inside the store following the alleged attack, to prevent him from doing any more damage but also to protect him from an angry mob waiting outside, according to Putu Sukarma, a spokesman for Badung police.
Bali has explored a possible ban on foreign citizens hiring motorbikes.Credit: Amilia Rosa
Sukarma said the “foreigner” identified only as John, “ran amok” at about 3.30am on Thursday near the Potato Head Beach Club in North Kuta.
The alleged victim, a 28-year-old man, was on his motorcycle when he saw the Australian being “chased by a number of ride-sharing motorbike taxis offering him a ride”, Sukarma said.
“The victim stopped as he was afraid of hitting the perpetrator,” police alleged. “But the perpetrator immediately beat up the victim repeatedly … to the head and face.”
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Sukarma said the victim was left bleeding and had swollen lips and bruising on his arms and right eye. The Australian was taken to the North Kuta police precinct but was allegedly so drunk he could not be interviewed for many hours. Sukarma had no updates on Saturday, and it was unclear where the man was now.
Foreigners behaving badly has long been a problem for the Indonesian tourist island. It has recently explored – and dismissed – implementing both a tourist quota and a ban on foreign citizens hiring motorbikes. From February this year, however, tourists must pay a $15 levy upon arrival at the airport.
Balancing tourism, the lifeblood of the economy, with measures to curb bad behaviour has been much debated in Bali. Tourism operators are still recovering from the travel restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic.