Man and woman undergo ‘walk of shame’ with signs around neck to discourage stealing on Gili Trawangan island off Lombok

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

An Australian man and woman accused of stealing a bicycle have been paraded through the streets of an Indonesian island with signs around their necks warning others against theft.

The pair wore identical signs made of cardboard and string with the message: “I AM THIEVE. DON’T DO WHAT I DID...!!!” as they walked through the streets flanked by members of the local security force for Gili Trawangan island.



Media reports quoted a member of the force as saying they were caught on CCTV stealing a bicycle at around 1pm on Saturday. They were paraded on Sunday and have since left the island.

Gili Trawangan, the largest of the three Gili Islands near Bali, has a permanent population of about 800 people and is less than 2 miles long.

A man who works at a dive shop told the Guardian the duo had booked a diving trip and were doing the “walk of shame”, a punishment used regularly by local law enforcement.

He said the island was so small that there was no police presence. Residents had formed a local security force that was governed by authorities on the mainland and enforced the shaming penalty to discourage stealing

Kejadian hari ini di Gili Trawangan....! A photo posted by Agungwiryawan (@agungwiryawan) on Dec 11, 2016 at 9:50pm PST

“It’s not just a group of vigilantes,” said Mike, who asked to be referred to only by his first name. “I’ve been here a year and it’s happened between seven and nine times, to tourists but locals as well.”

In other photos of people doing the walk of shame, they are flanked by men in black police-style clothing with truncheons.