There was an immediate knee-jerk reaction to the recent passing of Indonesia’s new Criminal Code, with many regional and international newswires focusing on those clauses related to pre-marital sex and how this was going to destroy Bali’s recovering tourism industry.
Antara News are reporting that Bali Governor Wayan Koster has confirmed that adopting the new Criminal Code will not affect tourism in Bali.
In a press release received on Monday, the governor noted that the new Criminal Code had caused polemics in local and international news. In this case, he stated that the Criminal Code does not specifically regulate premarital sexual activities like has been reported by several local and foreign media outlets, report Antara News.
Koster explained that the new Criminal Code’s Article 411, which regulates adultery, and Article 412, which regulates cohabitation, are complaint-based. Thus, the perpetrators cannot be immediately arrested and/ or prosecuted without a complaint.
He further explained that those who can file a complaint are only the perpetrator’s spouse, for those who are married, or parents or children, for those who are not married.
The governor affirmed that based on provisions of the new Criminal Code, visitors who visit Bali or those who live there need not be concerned, as the regulation would provide a better guarantee for everyone’s privacy and comfort.
He ensured that the Bali government would not conduct checks on the marital status at any tourism accommodation and would guarantee the confidentiality of the visitors’ personal data during their stay. In addition, no inspection of marital status would be conducted by public officials or community groups as well.
To this end, he asserted that tourists or visitors should not have concerns about visiting Bali, as the island is still a safe and comfortable tourist destination.
The governor stated that the government and people of Bali respect the arrival and presence of visitors, including their privacy.
In the press release, he also addressed hoax reports of flight and hotel room booking cancellations.
He said that data from travel agents, tour operators, accommodation providers, and airlines showed that the number of visitors and flights to Bali from December 2022 to March 2023 tended to increase.
Source: Antara News
