Indonesian authorities on Monday sought to reassure tourists after concerns sparked by a new penal code that criminalizes sex outside of marriage.
“I want to address foreign tourists saying, ‘Come to Indonesia, you won’t be chased by this article,'” Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej, deputy minister of justice and human rights, told reporters. .
According to the new penal code, sexual relations outside marriage and cohabitation can only be denounced by close family members of the persons concerned, 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 on Tuesday approved a text punishing a maximum of one year in prison for sex outside marriage and six months in prison for cohabitation, signaling a conservative slide in the major Muslim country. .
Business representatives have sounded the alarm over this reform, which could harm the tourism sector in Indonesia.
In Bali, the main tourist destination of the archipelago, Governor Wayan Koster also tried to allay fears about the new penal code, assuring that the authorities would not check the marital status of tourists.
The Hindu-majority island of Bali will not change its policy towards foreigners after the code is put in place, he said. “Bali remains Bali”, an island “comfortable and safe for visitors”.
“There will be no verification of marital status on arrival at tourist accommodation […] nor inspection by officials or community leaders,” he said in a statement.
The new penal code has yet to be signed by President Joko Widodo and should come into force in three years after a transition period.