A South Korean woman, YN, was detained by Rendang Police after she reportedly committed vandalism at Pura Goa Raja in Besakih. The event, shown in a Rendang Police Office social media post, showed YN destroying holy objects inside the temple grounds, including umbrellas, flags, and donations.
The incident took place on Monday, 7th of August 2023, at around six o’clock in the evening. YN was detained on Tuesday, 8th of August 2023, at her homestay in Besakih, with little to no resistance, as the police reported.
I Made Suadnyana, the chief of the Rendang Police, reported that YN confessed to the crime and that the reason she was driven to do it was a supernatural whisper pushing her to go to Pura Goa Raja Besakih.
When they received the information, police took an immidiate action, detaining YN from her accommodation in Besakih, Rendang District. She was then transported to the Rendang Police headquarters for further investigation.
Authorities are working to fully comprehend the incident’s extent and ramifications as they continue their investigation. While the legal procedure is ongoing, the South Korean woman is still in detention.
According to reports, the nearby community performed a purification ceremony after the incident.
This incident was not the first incident of unruly behaviour of foreign tourists at the Balinese temple. A few months ago, there was this German tourist who, for an unknown reason, was stripping down naked during a sacred dance performance at Ubud Saraswati temple. It seems like Bali has a magnet for tourists with unfinished business, which leads them to suffer mentally and decide to do some unthinkable behaviour during their time on the Island of Gods.
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