A WhatsApp group used for buying and selling secondhand goods in Bali’s coastal village of Amed has become the focus of an online debate after its administrator removed a number of Indonesian members, prompting criticism from both local and foreign participants over the decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The discussion gained wider attention after Italian content creator Christian Giacobbe<\/strong> posted a video on social media highlighting the incident and questioning the reasoning behind the removals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his video, Giacobbe identified the administrator of the “Garage Sales in Amed” WhatsApp group as Sergey Melnikov<\/strong> and said Indonesian members had been removed from the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “This is Sergey, the creator of the Garage Sales in Amed group. At one point, he decided to remove all Indonesians from the group,” Giacobbe said in the video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hey Bali News has not independently verified the group’s membership history. This report is based on statements made publicly by those involved, screenshots circulating online, and comments shown in Giacobbe’s video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The WhatsApp group has been used by residents of Amed, a coastal area in East Bali popular with divers, retirees, digital nomads, and long-term foreign residents, as a marketplace for secondhand furniture, household items, and personal belongings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Screenshots displayed in the video appear to show a message attributed to Melnikov explaining the decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the message, the group was originally created for Amed’s expatriate community. As more local Indonesians joined, he wrote that group rules were increasingly being ignored, leading him to remove Indonesian members so that foreign residents would “feel safer.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The message also stated that members who agreed to follow the group’s rules could be invited back and asked readers not to view the decision as personal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hey Bali News has not independently verified the authenticity of the screenshots.<\/p>\n\n\n\nVideo Alleges Indonesians Were Removed From the Group<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Administrator Says the Group Was Created for the Expat Community<\/h2>\n\n\n\n