Two Dutch expats have caused quite the stir in Bali (and online) after it became clear that any Indonesians who tried to join their Bali-based run club were automatically rejected.
The men, who organise running events through Entourage Bali, have now been banned from re-entering Indonesia.
What exactly happened?
According to AD.nl, Indonesian media has been reporting that anyone who attempted to join a recent run club event with an Indonesian name or number, was refused admission.
This was backed up by people who attended the run club, with one participant telling News.com.au that the club appeared to only consist of western foreigners, and “there weren’t even any people from other Asian countries.”
Another woman took to Threads to detail how when she applied to join the event, she was told her application would be reviewed. Meanwhile, her husband, who had a western name and foreign number, was automatically accepted.
Needless to say, this doesn’t look good, especially when we consider the history between the Netherlands and Indonesia.
The club claims it was a mistake
Entourage took to Instagram to explain what went wrong, claiming that “the biggest proportion of people joining had Indonesian nationality.”
They wrote that the automatic rejection of people with an Indonesian number was a mistake: “‘However, we made errors in the automated approval for our WhatsApp groups. While we were trying to create a place where expats could meet, a problem arose where +62 numbers and Indonesians were incorrectly rejected.”
That being said, many online don’t believe this.
Organisers can no longer return to Bali
The two Dutchmen, named as Hidde and Joost on social media, left Bali for Singapore on Wednesday. Their departure is now permanent, as the immigration services have been told not to let them back in.
And perhaps that’s for the best. If the men were to return, they would be arrested immediately. According to AD.nl, foreigners are not allowed to organise events in Indonesia.
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