Gianyar Police End Inquiry Into Canceled Ubud Retreat

Ubud — Gianyar police released an Australian organizer after questioning on Friday, saying his planned retreat had been canceled and did not take place. The police said they had found no criminal offense to pursue.

The decision, reported on Oct. 22, closed the inquiry into the event, which had been advertised as the “Tantric Full Body Energy Orgasm Retreat.” Police said the organizer, identified by the initials AB, described it to authorities as yoga training for sexual therapy.

Why it matters to visitors and foreign residents

The case shows the practical limits of a criminal investigation when an advertised event is canceled before it occurs. For a foreign organizer in Bali, an online promotion can still draw scrutiny from police and immigration officials, but the absence of a completed event and an established criminal offense meant the Gianyar investigation did not continue.

Police said a hotel in Ubud had been booked as the planned location before the cancellation. The retreat was scheduled as a four-day event beginning March 6, but police said the organizer canceled it after online backlash. The police account also said the organizer was questioned rather than held after authorities determined that the event had not taken place.

The inquiry followed public condemnation of the retreat’s promotional material. Police said that, because the event did not occur, there was no criminal offense established on the facts they had examined.

Sources

• Coconuts Bali — regional news report
• thebalisun.com
• Yahoo News Australia — national news report