Indonesia may blacklist Leonardo DiCaprio

Indonesia says it may ban Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio from returning over his comments on rain forests being cleared for palm oil plantations, reports the BBC.

 

Mr DiCaprio entered Indonesia on a tourist visa and on Sunday visited Gunung Leuser National Park in Aceh.

 

"A world-class biodiversity hotspot...but palm oil expansion is destroying this unique place," he posted.

 

If the comments were judged as "incitement", he would be banned in future, a top official told.

 

''In terms of [his] visa and immigration permit, Leonardo DiCaprio did not do anything wrong: He entered and left Indonesia legally. But, we still investigate," Heru Santoso, spokesperson for the director general of immigration department, said.

 

"If DiCaprio's posting in his social media can be categorized as incitement or provocation, we can blacklist him from coming back to Indonesia."

 

It is not the first time a Hollywood star has run into trouble in Indonesia over their environmental activism.

 

Star Wars actor Harrison Ford was threatened with deportation in 2013 for "harassing state institutions" after interviewing the then forestry minister about illegal logging.