Tourist arrested over nude Bali temple act: ‘Sad to see this behaviour’

A German tourist who stripped naked and stormed the stage during a Balinese dance performance at a sacred temple could face time in prison for the stunt.

German tourist causes uproar in Bali after disrupting Balinese dance performance while completely naked.

A young German tourist who stripped naked and stormed the stage during a sacred Balinese dance performance at a temple in Ubud could face jailtime over the stunt.

The woman, identified by police as 28-year-old Darja Tuschinski, walked up to the stage while the dancers remained calm and professional.

In the now-viral clip filmed earlier this week, the backpacker was filmed climbing the temple stairs and attempting to open a door, as a local man attempted to stop her.

After barging the door open, she was then filmed then walking down and kneeling in front of the stage, where she appeared to pray.

A German woman, identified as Darja Tuschinski, disrupted a Balinese dance performance at a temple in Ubud while completely naked. Picture: Twitter

Tuschinski climbed the temple stairs, tried to open a door, and later knelt in front of the stage in a prayer-like gesture. Picture: Twitter

“The female foreigner went naked on the stage of Saraswati Ubud Temple owned by Tjokorda Ngurah Suyadnya AKA Cok Wah,” Bali Police spokesman Stefanus Satake Bayu Setianto told local media outlet Coconuts Bali.

The stunt sparked backlash online.

“Why weren’t you immediately given clothes and secured first? There was someone who was performing the Balinese dance … We don’t need crazy caucasians, do we?,” one local wrote.

The incident sparked outrage, with some calling for Tuschinski’s deportation. Picture: Twitter

Bali Police spokesman Stefanus Satake Bayu Setianto confirmed that the woman went naked on the stage of Saraswati Ubud Temple. Picture: Twitter

Another wrote: “Sad to see the behaviour of this one person.”

A third pointed out the cultural clash, writing: “Caucasians who go to Asia usually feel the most spiritual freedom (and) enlightenment … But (their) life and mindset are not in accordance with traditional Asian spiritual and spiritual values, especially in Bali.”

Stefanus revealed the incident occurred on Monday at around 8pm.

According to authorities, the woman started an argument with a staff member at the temple’s ticket box earlier in the evening before she barged into the dance show and took off her clothes.

The temple’s staff reportedly pulled Tuschinski off stage before handing her over to Ubud police.

Police reported that Tuschinski often walked around naked at Ubud Bungalow, where she stayed.

Local council chief Wayan Widana told another local media outlet, Radar Bali, that Tuschinski was known to suffer mental health issues and had been “brought to the Bangli Mental Institution.”

Tuschinski had a history of walking around naked at the Ubud Bungalow where she was staying and reportedly suffered from depression and financial difficulties. Picture: Twitter

Balinese authorities are taking the incident seriously due to an increase in misbehaving foreign visitors, including cases of public nudity and fights. Picture: Twitter

Indonesian officials have been extremely vocal this year about their frustration with unruly tourists.

The way authorities are dealing with foreigners is changing and Australians have been warned they must be prepared.

This includes knowing the local laws and customs to avoid hefty fines or being kicked out of the country.

Ravindra Singh Shekhawat, who is the general manager for Bali operations at Melbourne-based tour company Intrepid Travel, moved to the island in February last year.

He told news.com.au last month his observations were that only a “very small” percentage of tourists behave unruly but recently it was increasing.

“Recently there has been an increase in tourists not following the local laws and respecting local culture and traditions, including instances of tourists getting into heated arguments with local police for not wearing helmets or breaking traffic laws,” he said.

“Police have responded to this unruly behaviour by increasing their routine checks on the ground, such as driver licence checks and drink and driving checks.”

A “tourist tax” of up to $150 is currently being considered by the Indonesian government to curb bad behaviour and stop Bali being seen as a cheap holiday destination.

Bali Tourism Board chairman Ida Bagus Agung Partha Adnyana previously said the tax would improve the quality of tourists.

“Income from the tourism tax would help fund a range of measures and prevent Bali from becoming known only as a cheap destination,” he said.

“Cheap destinations bring in cheap tourists who tend to cause a lot of problems.”

Indonesia strictly prohibits acts that violate public decency or morals and violators of such laws can face severe consequences.

In order to maintain public order and preserve cultural norms, the maximum penalty for contravening Article 281 of the Criminal Code is two years and eight months of imprisonment.