The couple were harassed by the teenagers along Jalan Braga in Bandung on Dec 29. -- PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM GOOGLE MAPS
BANDUNG, Indonesia (The Straits Times/ANN): Three teenagers who harassed a Singaporean couple who were taking videos in the West Java provincial capital of Bandung in Indonesia have apologised, putting an end to police investigations.
The Indonesian police halted its probe into the case after the victim accepted an apology from the teens, CNN Indonesia reported on Jan 5.
“The victim has confirmed that she will not continue the legal process into the case as she saw the perpetrators had apologised on social media and thought this would serve as a lesson as the perpetrators are children,” said Bandung City police chief Budi Sartono, reported CNN Indonesia.
The Jakarta Globe, citing the Indonesian police, said the teenagers were arrested on Jan 3, and have admitted to the Dec 29, 2024, encounter with the married couple.
Two of the teenagers are reportedly minors, or under 17 years old.
The Indonesian police on Jan 4 said one of the teenagers admitted to making inappropriate gestures and touching the woman, the report said.
The other two have denied any involvement.
The teenagers were on their way to a football match when they came across the couple, the Jakarta Globe report added.
In a video uploaded to the couple’s YouTube channel – which has about 3,200 subscribers – the teenagers can be seen trailing the couple, as the man, known only as Mr Darien, records on video his thoughts about Bandung.
In the video, he talks about his love for the city and says he would seriously consider if he could live in the city for the long term.
The teenagers are then seen attempting to get into the frame of the camera, while doing poses and mimicking the woman, who wanted to be known only as Ms Joanna.
One of them then appears to brush past Ms Joanna, with his arm seemingly outstretched, before again joining his companions trailing the couple.
Thinking that it was all in good fun, Mr Darien is heard asking Ms Joanna to ignore the teenagers when she says they are being followed.
“I thought they were following us because they wanted to be a part of the video and they wanted to have fun, which is very common for us,” said Mr Darien in the video.
But after reviewing the clip, the couple, both aged 26, realised that they had been harassed, especially after noticing that the teenagers were egging each other on.
Mr Darien later said their behaviour was “disgusting”, but took pains to point out that it was “not representative of the behaviour of all Indonesians during our stay here”.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, Mr Darien said the local authorities had contacted them within 24 hours of the video being posted on Jan 2.
ST has contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for more details.
Following the suspects’ arrest, the Bandung police posted an Instagram video on Jan 4 showing the teenagers holding up a piece of paper each, with one of them apologising for their actions.
The couple also said on their Instagram account on Jan 4 that they were “willing to move on from the case” if the boys e-mail the couple a video of them apologising by Jan 11.
The couple requested that the boys record themselves apologising to them, the citizens of Indonesia and Bandung. The couple also requested that the suspects share in the video the steps they will take to ensure they do not repeat their actions.
“It is not about revenge – it is about standing up against sexual harassment which no one, whether tourist or local, should ever have to go through,” said the duo.
“(We) simply want to move on from this incident with the hope that something positive can come out of it.”
The couple told ST that they have been travelling in and out of Indonesia over the past four months. According to their social media, the couple both quit their corporate jobs in 2024, sold everything, and decided to travel for at least a year. Mr Darien is currently working a freelance job while they travel. - The Straits Times/Asia News Network
