15 foreigners arrested for illegal photo shoot in Canggu villa

balinews

The Ngurah Rai Immigration Office has arrested 15 foreigners for violating immigration regulations by conducting a photo shoot in a villa in Canggu, Badung, Bali. The 15 foreigners, consisting of 11 Americans and four Canadians, were arrested while doing the photo shoot. “They conducted a photo shoot on Bali without a working permit. They just used tourist visas when entering the island,” Ngurah Rai immigration official Mohamad Soleh told a press conference on Tuesday. Soleh said that the foreigners were participants in a photo shoot event called Paradise Challenge, which was being held on Bali. The arrested foreigners were organizers of the photo shoot, seven models, two photographers, a lighting engineer, a hairdresser and make-up artists. The models were identified as Americans Candace Marie Dexheimer, Veronica Gonzalez, Jennifer Lauren Summers, Jessica Rose Jones, Cassandra Cody Sienega and Pashence Marie Cannon and Canadian Holly Wolf. The two photographers were Americans Sultan Yousef Ghahtani and Gary Edward Miller. The immigration official also arrested the organizers: a manager of the event, Luis Munoz, marketing officer Ronald Hansen and sales staff Mariel Dulgicer — all Americans — as well as Canadian hairdresser Dina Morel, make-up artist Aurelie Elisabeth Renout and a lighting expert Chloe Terae Thomson. Soleh said that the immigration team had conducted an undercover operation for three days from April 8 to 10. The team, he said, found that the foreigners conducted photo shoots in several other area, besides in the villa in Canggu. “They had also conduct photo shoots in the Bali Zoo, in Tabanan and in a hotel area in Seminyak,” Soleh explained. See more at: Americans, Canadians deported for illegal photo shoot | The Jakarta Post

spicyayam

You can see the company's website here: Bali | The Paradise Challenge It seems to me the participants were paying customers of the event rather than working. For sure the organizers should have had the correct visa. Maybe they should have worked with a local event company. It is certainly going to make some people think twice about holding some kind of event in Bali.

davita

While confessing I'm not sure of the purpose of 'Paradise Challenge' it did seem that some people paid a company to live in a villa and have pictures taken whilst having a weeks holiday (I read US$3100 each was paid for this). It is a sign that Indonesia immigration is focussing on almost any act regarding visitors as work....even posing for a picture. I hope there was more to the situation than reported, but a bizarre arrest warrant and deportation was issued....very scary. I'm always being asked to pose for pictures...probably because of my incredible handsomeness....:icon_eek:.... but, in future, I may have to decline before imigrasi charge me with working on my retirement visa.

davita

More pictures matsaleh....more...I'm not a facebook member! We don't have much to go on but aren't professional models allowed to have a holiday and have their pictures taken....seems to me we are skimming the bottom of a legal loophole here so the Company and it's managers should be held accountable. According to the web page the models paid for a weeks holiday in the sun (US$3100 excluding air fare) and had some professional pictures taken...hardly seems the models were working if they paid for the trip....but I don't know the whole story...just applying logic.

matsaleh

Just for you davita. See what you're missing, not being a member of Facebook [ATTACH]2414.vB[/ATTACH][ATTACH]2415.vB[/ATTACH]

werecoming

It seems they were professional models, not paying customers. Here's some photos from The Paradise Challenge FB page https://www.facebook.com/paradisechallenge/photos/a.766251040054023.1073741834.753227811356346/950258068319985/?type=1&hc_location=ufi https://www.facebook.com/paradisechallenge/photos/a.762748120404315.1073741832.753227811356346/951165288229263/?type=1&hc_location=ufi

Tidy.

davita

Thanks matsaleh...not really my type but interesting 'internet positif' hasn't closed facebook to Indonesia...probably because half the Ministers use it.

matsaleh

You can see the company's website here: Bali | The Paradise Challenge It seems to me the participants were paying customers of the event rather than working. For sure the organizers should have had the correct visa. Maybe they should have worked with a local event company. It is certainly going to make some people think twice about holding some kind of event in Bali.

It seems they were professional models, not paying customers. Here's some photos from The Paradise Challenge FB page https://www.facebook.com/paradisechallenge/photos/a.766251040054023.1073741834.753227811356346/950258068319985/?type=1&hc_location=ufi https://www.facebook.com/paradisechallenge/photos/a.762748120404315.1073741832.753227811356346/951165288229263/?type=1&hc_location=ufi

sherm

If I wanted to stare at silicone I'd go to Ace.

davita

matsaleh wroteJust for you davita. See what you're missing, not being a member of Facebook [ATTACH=CONFIG]2414[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]2415[/ATTACH]

sherm wroteIf I wanted to stare at silicone I'd go to Ace.

hahaha that's a good one sherm...exactly my thoughts...... but, as a retired playboy, also thanks to matselah for the memories...sorry, my bad....I meant mammaries:icon_e_biggrin: