Indonesia to deport Australian surfer jailed for drunken rampage in conservative province

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An Australian surfer who was imprisoned for engaging in a drunken and naked assault on multiple individuals in the conservative Muslim province of Aceh, Indonesia, will be deported to Australia after reaching an agreement to apologize and provide compensation, officials announced on Wednesday.

Bodhi Mani Risby-Jones, a 23-year-old from Queensland, was apprehended in late April on Simeulue Island, a surf resort in West Aceh regency, following accusations by the police that he had gone on a drunken rampage resulting in severe injuries to a fisherman.

Risby-Jones was released on Tuesday after participating in a restorative justice process, during which he expressed remorse for the assault and agreed to compensate the fisherman’s family, thereby avoiding a trial and potential assault charges that could have resulted in up to five years of imprisonment. Fauzi, the head of the Immigration Office in Meulaboh, the capital of West Aceh regency, confirmed the development.

Fauzi, like many Indonesians, uses a single name and declined to disclose the specific compensation amount agreed upon. However, local and Australian media outlets reported that Risby-Jones paid approximately 250 million rupiah ($16,810) to the family, in addition to covering the full hospital expenses for the injured fisherman who underwent surgery in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital, due to broken bones and a severe leg infection.

Risby-Jones was transported from Simeulue Island to Meulaboh via ferry late on Tuesday. He was expected to visit the Meulaboh immigration office on Wednesday to complete the necessary paperwork before returning to Australia, according to Fauzi.

Video footage of his release on Tuesday depicted Risby-Jones wearing a dark blue T-shirt and a detainee’s red vest while being escorted by officers to a bus. Prior to departing, he embraced and bid farewell to several prison wardens.

Expressing his gratitude, Risby-Jones said, “It’s been a long time coming, and I’m feeling amazing and super happy and grateful. Everyone has been very nice and has treated me well, thank you.”

Fauzi stated that immigration authorities have been in contact with Australian diplomats regarding his deportation. Risby-Jones will be held at an immigration detention facility until his travel documents and plane tickets are prepared.

Instances of violence committed by foreigners are exceptionally rare in Aceh, the only province in predominantly Muslim Indonesia that adheres to Shariah law. This was a result of a concession made by the central government in 2001 as part of efforts to resolve a protracted war for independence. Risby-Jones is the first foreigner to successfully resolve a case through restorative justice in the province.

The sale and consumption of alcohol are strictly prohibited in Aceh, and individuals found intoxicated have been publicly caned.

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