Global Courant 2023-05-26 16:40:00
Authorities in Bali, Indonesia, have arrested a German tourist who entered a sacred temple performance and stripped naked during the ceremony.
According to several news outlets, including Kompas.com, Darja Tuschinski was reportedly denied a ticket to the Hindu show at Saraswati Ubud Temple on Monday.
The 28-year-old then allegedly pushed past security to enter the play area before taking off her clothes.
In a video widely circulated online, the woman is seen walking past a group of dancers on stage before forcefully opening a large number of gilded doors.
After being confronted by a local man, Mrs. Tuschinski walks off stage to kneel beside a shrine as if in prayer.
She eventually returned to the stage as the audience watched in shock.
Security personnel eventually detained her for disrupting the performance and handed her over to police in Ubud district.
She was questioned at the police station before being taken to a hospital for a physical and psychological examination.
Police also conducted drug and alcohol tests on Ms Tuschinski, but have not yet released the results.
Temple staff, meanwhile, apologized to visitors and performed a ritual to remove the “bad energy” from the area resulting from the naked frenzy.
Authorities believe Ms Tuschinski struggled with her finances and became stressed when she was unable to secure a ticket to the show.
She faces two years and eight months in prison if found guilty of violating the country’s public morals laws.
Bali has long been a popular holiday island with international tourists. But in recent years, many Indonesians have sued some of them for unruly behavior, and officials are ready to crack down.
In early April, a Russian tourist was deported after posting a photo of himself naked from the waist up on Mount Agung.
The mountain is the highest peak in Bali and the island’s Hindus believe it to be the home of their gods.
