Sex outside of marriage will also be a crime in Indonesia for tourists

The revision of the penal code approved in Parliament by Indonesia could be a problem for the tourism sector. After the pandemic and the economic crisis that hit places like Bali, which lives mainly from the arrival of visitors from abroad, the measure that prohibits premarital and extramarital sex even for foreigners on vacation could be a new threat to the country’s livelihood.

According to the review, sex before and outside marriage is punishable by one year in prison. The rule concerns citizens and tourists: cohabitation of unmarried couples is also targeted, which will be punished by six months in prison.

The new code will come into effect in three years and its modification has already been the subject of discussion. A draft was presented in 2019 and then interrupted by the protests of thousands of people in the Jakarta square. This time, however, not even the protesters’ complaints were able to stop the law from being passed. The deputies tried to “lighten” everything by specifying that the accusations could be made only by spouses, close relatives or children.

Simply put, if a tourist had an affair with an Indonesian national, the resident’s parents, partner or children could file a complaint and the tourist would be arrested. In this way, however, the law risks being lethal for the LGBT community who, according to activists, may be forced into hiding.

According to the amendment passed by Parliament, blasphemy and blasphemy will also be illegal promotion of contraceptive methods. It is also forbidden to insult the acting president and vice president and “the national ideology”, Pancasila. Peaceful protests will be punished with six months in prison and support for “Maxist-Leninist ideologies” will carry sentences of up to 10 years in prison. The move was reportedly promoted by Vice President Ma’ruf Amin, the former head of the Indonesian Council of Ulama, the country’s highest body for Islamic scholars.