Canadian actor and self-proclaimed wellness guru Jeffery Craigen faces deportation from Bali after he shared a video of himself performing the haka naked at a sacred mountain. Craigen had someone record him performing the haka while fully naked on top of Mount Batur, a volcano considered holy by many Balinese. Local media report Craigen was detained and questioned on Monday after a deluge of complaints from social media users accusing him of disrespecting Balinese religious values.
Authorities told Channel News Asia that airlines are reluctant to help Craigen because he has not received a COVID-19 vaccine. "Airlines have not agreed [to transport him]."The video posted on Craigen's social media, which has now been removed, shows the man attempting to perform Ka Mate naked. Craigen has since shared a lengthy apology video, recorded while in detention. "So I'm sorry, whether you believe me or not, I'm sorry because I didn't know," he said while. Craigen said the video isn't a plea to stay in the country but a "heartfelt apology". "My intention wasn't to disrespect the Māori culture. I didn't even know the words I was saying," Craigen said while crying profusely. "I was just expressing what I was feeling and I sincerely apologise for any hurt that I gave any Māori people ."The actor then went on to apologise to the Balinese people too for dancing naked on their sacred mountain, saying he didn't mean to disrespect them and was feeling "lost" at the time. Craigen said in the 18-minute video his intention of doing the haka naked while on top of the sacred mountain was "to feel alive".