Singapore: Indonesia is done with offensive foreigners in Bali. So done that immigration officials didn’t waste even a day in blacklisting a pair of Dutch digital nomads accused of managing a discriminatory fun run club that allegedly preferenced Westerners.

The drama has blown up on social media, where Bali locals and visitors are lining up to opine on how it’s good “to see finally Asians fighting back! Yeah”, or how actually “I’ve even been told to go back home just because two of my dogs were sniffing their feet, and they kicked them for it”.

Indonesians in Bali are increasingly sensitive to real or perceived slights against their home and culture. This one has extra sizzle because of the accused men’s nationality: Indonesia was a Dutch colony for centuries until much-celebrated independence after the Second World War.

“Ancestors of the colonisers,” wrote one commenter.

The story started when Indonesian woman Annisa Rahmadani applied via WhatsApp to join Entourage Bali, a club “created as a community for digital nomads in Bali” by two Dutch men, whose names are understood to be Joost Storms and Hidde van Vliet.

After typing in her particulars, she received a message saying, “Our team will review your application and get back to you shortly”. This would not have been a problem if her Western husband hadn’t also applied and been immediately accepted.

“Foreign nationals cannot create their own rules or exclusivity within Indonesia’s jurisdiction.”Hendarsam Marantoko, Bali director-general of immigration

“Dear Entourage Bali! You postponed my application because I have [an] Indonesian name and number, yet you accepted my husband’s application right away because he has western name and number! Shame on you!” Rahmadani posted on social media on Thursday, tagging Bali and national immigration authorities.

The next day, Bali’s Director General of Immigration Hendarsam Marantoko was out telling reporters “this running event was a form of creating a state within a state” and that the Dutchmen were not allowed to come back.

“Foreign nationals cannot create their own rules or exclusivity within Indonesia’s jurisdiction,” the Jakarta Globe reported Hendarsam as saying.

The pair – identified in Indonesia only as JAS, 35, and HQV, 37, had apparently already left Indonesia for Singapore the day before Rahmadi’s viral post, which, by Monday morning, had close to 5000 likes and almost 800 comments, not to mention the reaction on Indonesian media sites.

With the story taking off, Entourage Bali scrambled a response on its Instagram account to apologise and explain.

“Being a digital nomad is not defined by nationality,” they wrote. “Our community includes members from many countries, including Indonesia.

“Some of our events have always been open and free for everyone to attend, while others have had a participant requirement based on the purpose of the event. For example, certain events were designed specifically for digital nomads, while others, such as women’s walks and workshops, were intended exclusively for female participants.”

Organisers even created a circle graph showing that Indonesians (22) made up the largest cohort of attendees at a July 22 “Silent Disco Run”, followed by Russians (14) and then “Anglos” (12) from Australia, America, and the UK.

Indonesian media is reporting that immigration officials are questioning the men’s sponsor, a building material provider, about their activities in Indonesia and whether they held the correct visas.

The incident has ignited a kind of Bali nationalism on social media against ubiquitous foreigners who call themselves digital nomads, influencers, and life coaches. This is in addition to the regular frustration over innumerable instances of foreigners disrespecting locals with fighting, drunkenness, rudeness, working illegally and even nude photos at sacred sites.

It has also shut down Entourage Bali, at least for now.

Europe-based Indonesian influencer and web developer Sasha Astiadi (Sasha Tigresa) posted a video message directed to foreigners staying long-term in Bali.

“If you are living in Bali, please ask yourself: do you have the right permit, do you have the right visa to go live in Bali?” she said, before detailing her obligations in Germany: showing sufficient funds to support herself, paying tax, buying insurance and learning the language.

“In Indonesia, the only thing that we are asking you is to have the right work permit and the right visa. We are not asking you to learn Indonesian. We are not even asking you to pay tax in Indonesia if you say you are a digital nomad. So, respect the culture and get the right permit to do it.”

It’s unclear what investigations the immigration authorities carried out before handing down the bans. But the speed shows they are serious.

The club apologised on its social media channels, which shared videos of large groups of tourists and expats running past temples and houses in Bali.

“Entourage was created as a community for digital nomads in Bali to help people who are new to the island connect with others and do fun activities together during their stay,” the statement read.

Bali police told this masthead there “were no bans on Indonesian citizens to participate in the Silent Disco Run event; however, the said events were indeed dominated by foreign nationals”.

For the under siege Dutch pair, it appears the Bali lifestyle is over regardless.