U.S. tourist detained after breaking the Balinese Day of Silence by going for a walk in Indonesia

An American tourist has been detained in Bali by local security on Thursday after breaking one of Bali’s laws.

A 57-year-old man was spotted by locals walking along a road in Sukawati village on Thursday morning around 7am — usually walking around on the streets of Bali wouldn’t be a problem.

However, on this day it is prohibited to leave your home in the holiday hot spot.

Every year, Bali prepares to shut down for 24 hours in March — the streets often become isolated to mark Nyepi — the Balinese Day of Silence.

From 6am until 6am, residents and tourists are required to stay indoors, with driving, music and transportation banned.

All businesses close except for emergency services, and even the airport shuts for the day.

Indonesian police told media outlets that they had detained an American man after they found him breaking their Nyepi laws.

Authorities said the man was believed to be looking for a new hotel as he was “forced to leave” his other accommodation.

“He admitted he was forced to leave his hotel in Ubud because his stay had expired,” a local police chief told reporters.

It was later revealed that the U.S native had been taken to a local police station where he pretended to be non-verbal and insisted on leaving.

At the police station police went through identity checks with the man and it was revealed that he was searching for accommodating in the Sukawti area.

After the ordeal, police escorted the tourist to a nearby villa and ensured the foreigner was aware of Balinese customs and traditions.

A social media post that shared the alleged offending of the man saw many commenters filled with anger about the lack of respect the he showed on the island.

“Please respect the island you visit,” one user said.

“As an American, this is embarrassing,” another one said.

With a third expressing their dismay, “No Words for this...😮😮😮Respect the Nyepi Rules...🔥🔥🔥”

However, some understood how this tourist got himself into this situation.

With one social media user saying: “Dont judge guys. There are many people with no social media, or whatever. who have no idea of what’s happening. So I believe every and each of one should be informed. Informed by the local community.”

Some even said that the government should do more advertising so more tourists are aware of this sacred day.

The holiday is a religious and cultural celebration - for Balinese Hinduism, it is reported that around 87 per cent of citizens in Bali identify as Hindu.