By The Straits Times | Created at 2025-01-05 08:33:51 | Updated at 2025-01-07 03:41:50
1 day ago
SINGAPORE - Three teenagers who allegedly harassed a Singaporean couple vlogging in Bandung, the capital of Indonesia’s West Java province, have been arrested.
The Jakarta Globe, citing the Indonesian police, said the teenagers were arrested on Jan 3, and have admitted to the Dec 29 encounter with the married couple.
The couple allege that one of the teenagers had intentionally touched the female partner’s bum.
Two of the teenagers are reportedly minors, or under 17 years old.
The Indonesian police were quoted as saying on Jan 4 that one of the teenagers admitted to making inappropriate gestures and touching the woman.
The other two have denied any involvement.
The teenagers were on their way to a football match when they encountered the couple, reported the Jakarta Globe.
A video posted to the couple’s YouTube channel, which has about 3,200 subscribers, show the teenagers trailing the couple, as the man, known only as Mr Darien, vlogs his thoughts about Bandung, expressing his love for the city and saying that he would seriously consider if this was a place where he wanted to live for the long term.
The teenagers are seen attempting to get into the frame of the camera, while doing poses and mimicking Mr Darien.
One of them then appears to brush past his partner, who wants to be known only as Ms Joanna, with his arm seemingly outstretched, before eventually joining his companions behind the couple again.
Thinking that it was all in good fun, Mr Darien is heard asking Ms Joanna to ignore the teenagers when she brings up that they were 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 the teenagers allegedly 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 Indonesian behaviour during our stay here”.
In response to a query from The Straits Times, Mr Darien said that local authorities had contacted them within 24 hours of the video being posted on Jan 2.
The Singapore Embassy, Singapore’s police attache based in Jakarta, and the Bandung police have been involved in the case, he added.
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 25.
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.”
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