Bali Governor Wayan Koster has publicly weighed in on the Entourage Bali running club controversy, declaring that discrimination against Indonesian citizens will not be tolerated on the island again, as police continue searching for two Dutch nationals identified as the event’s organizers.
Speaking to reporters at Ngurah Rai Grand Forest Park (Tahura) in Denpasar on Sunday, July 26, 2026, Koster confirmed that Bali Regional Police are actively pursuing the two Dutch nationals suspected of organizing the event.
“There’s Already a Circular in Place. This Won’t Happen Again.”
“They’re being pursued by Bali Regional Police right now. This can’t happen again, there’s already a circular letter in place for exactly this kind of thing, and firm action will be taken,” Koster said.
Koster also confirmed that Badung Regent I Wayan Adi Arnawa is conducting a separate investigation into how the event was organized and permitted in the first place. “The Badung Regent is conducting an investigation. This kind of thing must not happen again,” Koster stated.
A Controversy That Reached International Attention
The governor’s comments follow days of intense public backlash against a running event branded “Bali Silent Disco,” which faced allegations of violating immigration regulations and discriminating against local residents. Beyond the discrimination claims, the group’s running activities were repeatedly criticized for disrupting traffic and public roads in Canggu.
The event was organized by Entourage Bali, a running community made up primarily of foreign nationals. Multiple prospective participants using Indonesian phone numbers, identifiable by the country’s +62 dialing code, were reportedly rejected from joining the group’s WhatsApp community. The controversy drew attention not only from Indonesian lawmakers but also from international media outlets covering the story.
According to widely circulated screenshots, Indonesian applicants described being deliberately obstructed or ignored during the registration process, while foreign applicants reportedly received swift approval to join the same running events.
Why the Governor’s Direct Involvement Matters
Koster’s public statement marks a significant escalation in how far up Indonesia’s political chain this controversy has traveled, from a viral social media post to comments from the province’s top official within roughly a week. His reference to an existing “circular letter” ties the case directly to Bali’s broader tourist and foreign resident conduct regulations, signaling that authorities view this incident not as an isolated dispute, but as a test case for how seriously the province intends to enforce its rules on foreign nationals operating public events and activities on the island.
For Bali’s expat and digital nomad community, Koster’s remarks add further weight to a case that has already resulted in Immigration blacklisting the two Dutch organizers and Bali’s provincial government separately tightening restrictions on foreign investment across 18 small business sectors, part of a broader pattern of heightened scrutiny toward how foreign nationals conduct business and community activities across the island.
What’s Next
With both Bali Regional Police actively pursuing the two Dutch nationals and Badung’s Regent conducting a parallel investigation into the event’s organization, the case appears likely to result in further legal or administrative action in the coming weeks. This report will be updated as more information becomes available.
