New Zealander’s Mushola Protest in Indonesia Turns into Visa Violation Scandal
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- A New Zealand woman, ML, who protested mushola loudspeakers in Gili Trawangan during Ramadan, faces immigration action for visa overstay after damaging a mic and threatening locals with a machete.
- Viral video shows overstaying Kiwi tourist disrupting tadarus in Lombok’s Gili Trawangan, leading to police security and immigration probe.
- North Lombok police confirm New Zealand protester’s overstay status following machete threat at mushola; heightened security now in place.
A New Zealand national identified only as ML, who staged a protest against loudspeaker use at a mushola in Gili Trawangan, North Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara, has been found to be overstaying her visitor visa.
“The individual has been taken to the immigration office for further checks on her overstayed residence permit,” North Lombok Police Resort’s Satreskrim Chief AKP I Komang Wilandra said via WhatsApp message on Sunday.
Wilandra explained that the discovery came during police escort by officers from the Gili Indah Subsector Post in Gili Trawangan and Pemenang Police Sector, alongside immigration officials who arrived at the scene to verify the foreign woman’s status.
While police provided security, ML initially refused to meet the group. But after patient persuasion, she agreed to talk—on condition that the number of people be limited.
To immigration officers, ML admitted protesting the mushola activities because she felt disturbed by the loudspeakers used for tadarus recitations. She said it disrupted her rest at night.
Officers then explained the local community’s practices, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, noting that tadarus is a routine part of Muslim worship. They urged ML to be understanding.
ML’s outburst went viral in a video circulating on social media. The footage shows local residents trying to calm her disruptive behavior at the mushola late Wednesday night (Feb. 18).
The microphone used by locals for tadarus was damaged. She even snatched a villager’s phone that was recording her actions.
When neighborhood leaders visited ML to demand the phone’s return, she refused and threatened them with a sharp weapon—a machete.
It turns out ML was staying in Gili Trawangan at her parents’ place; they had been previously expelled by locals.
Following the incident, police have stepped up security around the mushola and the villa where the foreign woman lives.
Indonesianpost.com | Antara
