Alarm Raised over Suspicious Deaths of Two Chinese Tourists in Bali

The shocking facts of the fatalities have outraged people in China. Police in the area are currently looking into the cause.

Chinese visitors to Bali, Indonesia who are concerned about their safety after the strange deaths of two Chinese tourists at a five-star hotel.

Chinese media stated that a 22-year-old woman and a 25-year-old man were discovered dead in an InterContinental hotel on Monday. The local Chinese embassy confirmed this information on Thursday. Police in the area are looking into the fatalities.

According to reports, the woman, who went by the last name Chen, was an undergraduate student from Jiangxi province who initially checked into the hotel on April 30. On May 1, Li, her boyfriend who was a publisher’s employee in Jiangxi province, joined her early that morning.

Local news sources state that on Monday at around 6:45 a.m., hotel staff members got a call from a visitor who had heard calls for help. Li was discovered dead, naked, and bloodied on the corridor balcony when employees arrived at the site. Li was captured on hotel surveillance tape spending more than 20 minutes crawling across the hallway.

Li reportedly had two open wounds on his neck and left leg, according to a local forensic specialist. The person who made the reservation, Chen, was discovered naked and dead in the bathtub of their hotel room. She had bruises all over her body and head. According to local media, she had been strangled with a rope or other equipment as evidenced by a significant bruise on her neck.

The reason of the fatalities has not yet been determined by local police. The couple’s room was not broken into for their possessions.

According to a family member of Chen, they arrived in Bali on Saturday and are in contact with the local authorities, according to Chinese media.

Online users are horrified by the killings’ terrible and enigmatic character. Additionally, there are various claims regarding the two individuals’ identities, including details about how they met and their origins.

“At least for this year, I’ll have to postpone my trip to Bali due to this news. It’s pretty unsettling, one Weibo user said.

The Chinese consul general in Denpasar met with the local police on Friday to explore ways to ensure the security of Chinese tourists. Prior to the Labor Day vacation, the local Chinese consulate had issued a safety warning for Chinese nationals visiting to Bali.

Bali’s tourism business was severely impacted by COVID-19, as Chinese tourists make up a significant portion of the island’s revenue. After three years of travel restrictions because to the domestic pandemic, Chinese visitors started coming back to Bali at the beginning of this year. By 2025, Balinese officials anticipate that Chinese tourists will account for one-fifth of all visits, or pre-pandemic levels.

Over the Labor Day weekend, China’s domestic tourism experienced a strong recovery to pre-pandemic levels. However, international travel is recovering more slowly; in 2019, 6.27 million tourists traveled overseas, or 59.2% more than in 2018.

In a another incident, on May 3, a group of robbers broke into the rental home of three Chinese visitors and stole jewelry, electronics, and cash valued at 1 million baht ($29,655). According to Chinese media, local police have detained two of the five suspects.

Given the significance of Chinese tourists to both Indonesia’s and Thailand’s economy, the most recent occurrences will worry local officials in both countries. Dark allegations that Southeast Asia was unsafe for Chinese travelers earlier this year spread quickly on Chinese social media.