A pair of influencers have had their passports revoked after a woman painted on a face mask instead of wearing one while on vacation in Bali. Josh Paler Lin and Leia Se filmed a video in a local supermarket in which Leia walked around with the painted 0n mask in an attempt to fool fellow shoppers and not get caught. After the video went viral, it wasn’t long before Josh and Leia got in big trouble with Indonesian immigration officials.
View this post on Instagram
- This was the dumbest “prank” ever. Leia had a blue “face mask” painted on her face complete with white straps to mimic the real thing. Keep in mind that the COVID-19 pandemic is very much still going on and is very dangerous, so choosing to go into public places and not only ignore local rules to wear a proper face covering to protect others but to mock the whole thing by painting one on as a “prank” is incredibly disrespectful.
- Indonesian immigration officials seized their passports. According to reports, they were considering deportation of both Josh, a Taiwanese national, and Leia, a Russian national. I Putu Surya Dharma, a spokesman from the regional office for the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, confirmed the pair would be questioned before any further decisions were made. “After that they will be examined together with Immigration to take the decision on whether or not to deport them,” Surya said.
- Authorities want them deported ASAP. Dewa Nyoman Rai Dharmadi, the head of Bali Civil Service Police said the agency was writing a letter recommending Josh and Leia be deported with immediate effect given their blatant disregard for the Indonesian law. “They are not only violating, but deliberately provoking in public, so it’s only proper to sanction them more severely, not just with a fine but also deportation,” he said.
- The pair have since released an apology video. While the general fine for being caught not wearing a mask is only about $68, further offenses carry potential deportation, which is what Josh and Leia are up against. They have since deleted the video and issued an apology with their legal team in which they insist they never meant to be disrespectful but to make people laugh. “I did not realize that what I did could… raise a lot of concerns. Once again we want to apologize for what we did and we promise not to do it again,” Josh said.
View this post on Instagram
