All that can be said is – no surprises here. There has always been news and things popping online of Aussies and other Westerners and European tourists behave badly when on vacation in Asian – particularly Aussies in SE Asia – considering the close proximity of flights etc.
So, when an article like this pops up which talks about how Aussies and other Westerners take nude photos of themselves at SE Asian sacred sites, it is the usual eye rolls and knowledge that Aussies and Westerners can be some of the most disrespectful tourists in Asia who push their “privilege” around. This situation is no different.
Ravinjay Kuckreja is a Balinese religion researcher at the State Hindu University of Denpasar in Bali. He was recently interviewed by ABC’s RN Life Matters radio program and spoke about this. Here is some of the things he said (via ABC News):
Mr Kuckreja says since 2018, European and Australian tourists have racked up a growing list of insensitive activities in Bali, documented and shared online.
There have been incidents like “a Czech couple splashing holy water on someone’s backside in 2019”, he says, as well as naked West Australians driving a scooter into a pool in the same year, and in 2021 another Russian influencer posing naked on an elephant.
It’s not the nakedness per se that’s the problem, Mr Kuckreja says.
“However, being naked … in temples and sacred places – that’s a big no-no.”
“Usually, you’d have to enter with a sarong and a sash to cover up your lower body … It’s basically out of respect for the spirits or for the gods and the ancestors that dwell in such places.”
He also mentioned that most of the Aussie and Westerners who do this disrespectful things are usually social media influencers and do so to create content. The only good thing coming out of this situation is that SE Asian countries are taking a stand against this, and those that do get caught often get deported. Sadly though, many do fall under the radar, so this type of rude and disrespectful practice will continue to happen.
If you would like to read the full article, please go to: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-26/naked-tourists-south-east-asia-ancient-tree-temples-influencers/101335018?utm_medium=social&utm_content=sf259875284&utm_campaign=fb_abc_news&utm_source=m.facebook.com&sf259875284=1&fbclid=IwAR1QskTuL2ERIzI8aJZ5LkW2II3itagM6kaPkM3ameF-ImoPCGH2dfXhq2c
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