A legislation that, ultimately, will only affect the local population. Indonesian authorities on Monday tried to reassure tourists after concerns raised by a new penal code that criminalizes sex outside of marriage.
“I want to speak to foreign tourists saying: ‘Come to Indonesia, you will not be persecuted for this article,'” Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej, deputy minister for Justice and Human Rights, told reporters.
Damage to the tourism sector
According to the new criminal code, sexual relations outside of marriage and cohabitation can only be denounced by the close relatives of the interested parties, spouse, parent or child, he said, recalling that adultery was already punishable in the previous version of the code.
The Parliament of the Southeast Asian country approved on Tuesday a text that punishes sexual relations outside of marriage with a maximum of one year in prison and six months in prison for relationships, marking a conservative decline in the largest Muslim country.
Business representatives have sounded the alarm about this reform, which could harm Indonesia’s tourism sector.
In Bali, the main tourist destination in the archipelago, Governor Wayan Koster also tried to allay fears about the new penal code, assuring that the authorities will not control the marital status of tourists.
The Hindu-majority island of Bali will not change its policy towards foreigners after the code is implemented, he said. “Bali is still Bali”, an island “comfortable and safe for visitors”.
“There will be no marital status verification upon arrival at the tourist accommodation… and no inspection by officials or community leaders,” it said in a statement.
The new penal code has not yet been signed by President Joko Widodo and is expected to come into force within three years after a transition period.
Source: BFM TV
