Article: Five JWs Deported from Bali for Conducting Door-to-Door Religious Ministry

by AndersonsInfo 19 Replies latest jw friends

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  AndersonsInfo

  http://www.balidiscovery.com/messages/message.asp?ID=11719

  Dismantling the Watchtower

  Five Jehovah Witnesses Deported from Bali for Conducting Door-to-Door Religious Ministry

  
  

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  (4/5/2015)

  5 foreign nationals have been detained and deported by Indonesian immigration authorities in Bali.
  
  The five – 2 from the U.S.A., 2 from Australia and a Frenchman were determined to be illegally using a tourist visa to proselytize their religious beliefs on the Island.
  
  Deported were Mishael Alexander Martinez and Derrick Gary Leonard (USA); James Rua Ropiha and Brayden James Bevan (Australia); and Steven Gerrard Felix Otal (France).

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  The group were determined to be in violation of immigration law that permits no work, paid or unpaid, to be conducted in Indonesia without permits issued in advance by the Ministry of Manpower and violating national laws that forbid religious conversion.
  
  Local citizens in the North Meteo Complex near Bali’s complained to police that the group of men were going door to door in their neighborhood, insisting residents accept their brochures. According to immigration authorities, the foreigners were urging residents to attend a Jehovah Witness Worship Service planned for Friday in the Jimbaran area of Bali.
  
  Immigration authorities stopped the men during their door-to-door crusade on Wednesday, March 1, 2015 and asked them for their documents.
  
  While the Jehovah Witness is a recognized religious sect in Indonesia, it is expressly forbidden for any religion to actively promote their religious doctrine to differing sects or religions.
  
  According to Beritabali.com the five men were summarily deported and their names placed on a blacklist forbidding their return to Indonesia for a specific period.
  

  
  
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  James Mixon

  That's great, "placed on a blacklist".
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  wannaexit

  Thanks for passing this on Barb. I am wondering if the same fate will happen to some of the witnesses that have been going to Israel for the past year with visitor permits.
  
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  jwfacts

  This shows JWs disregard for the law when it suits them

  Indonesia is the fourth largest country with 250 million people. This good news of the Watchtower will never be preached to significant portions of the world.
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  LisaRose

  Where oh where were Jehovah's angels that support the preaching work? It's almost like they don't have any special protection at all.
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  OUTLAW

  This shows JWs disregard for the law when it suits them

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  steve2

  No surprises about their arrest and deportation. You play with fire....

  Of interest to me is whether these 5 male tourists were acting on their own private initiative or were "unofficially" testing the waters on behalf of the organization to see whether and to what exrent they could get away with proselytising in a country that bans ANY religion from doing so.
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  rip van winkle

  They were lucky to have been deported and not jailed.
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  joe134cd

  In all fairness I have been to Bali when i was a JDub and it Is pretty corrupt place. The locals will try and rob you anyway they can. When I was there I had 3 attempts made to pick my pockets. There were also a lot of foreigners in the cong to. I was told that great discernment had to be used. The locals are just swallowing it all. BTW some of these foreigners were married to locals. Great place to visit but man your gotta have your wits about you. Unfortunately these people went so discerning.
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  steve2

  I guess I don't see any justification for proselytising in a country that has made it very clear that, while you can "have" your particular religious beliefs, you cannot promote those beliefs. Whether the authorities are or are not corrupt has no bearing on that country's laws regarding religious public conduct. It applies equally to all registered religions.