Bali bans Dutch expats whose run club allegedly excluded Indonesians

Indonesia’s migration authorities have barred two Dutch nationals after they organized a running event that allegedly excluded Indonesian participants, according to officials. The event, arranged by the expatriate‑focused group Entourage Bali, provoked online criticism after testimonies suggested the organizers screened out local applicants while admitting foreigners. The two Dutchmen, aged 35 and 37, were in Bali en route to Singapore when the ban was announced; immigration officials said they will not be permitted to re‑enter Indonesia. Bali, long celebrated as a tropical haven, has become a hotspot for digital nomads in recent years, heightening friction between expatriates and residents. Accusations of bias against Entourage Bali’s running club have reignited anger toward foreigners perceived to act with entitlement and to form exclusive enclaves on the island. On Sunday, Governor I Wayan Koster vowed to take ‘strict action’ to prevent similar incidents from recurring. Immigration officials said the Dutch men violated immigration law by staging the running event without securing the required permits. In a statement posted Friday, Entourage Bali declared its running clubs were ‘open for everyone, including non‑digital nomads’. The group noted that Indonesians constituted the largest share of participants, holding about 25 % of the tickets. It attributed the problem to ‘errors in the automated support process’ in its chat groups, which ‘incorrectly rejected’ certain Indonesian registrations. “Entourage was created as a assemblage for integer nomads in Bali to assistance radical who are caller to the land link with others and bash amusive activities unneurotic during their stay,” the statement said. “Being a integer nomad is not defined by nationality. Our assemblage includes members from galore countries, including Indonesia.” Entourage Bali said it is suspending all events for now and promised ‘promise we volition marque existent changes going forward’.