Holiday hotspots like Bali are still recovering from the pandemic - now new laws could derail them again.
Tourism operators in Indonesia are still trying to recover from the devastating impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now the country's parliament has passed new laws that some fear could turn tourists away once again - because having sex out of wedlock is set to be outlawed.
It has been widely reported in nearby Australia, where some newspapers have dubbed it the "Bali bonk ban". For many young Australians, a trip to Bali is seen as a rite of passage. Others go there a few times a year for quick, cheap getaways.But as soon as news trickled through that the raft of new laws were becoming reality, after being mere rumours for years, doubt over future trips set in.
Under the new criminal codes - of which there are 600 - unmarried couples caught having sex can be jailed for up to a year and those found living together could be jailed for up to six months."Let's say an Australian tourist has a boyfriend or a girlfriend who is a local," Andreas Harsono, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation .
But that is dangerous in itself, Mr Harsono said, as it opens the door to "selective law enforcement"."It might be hotels, it might be foreign tourists… that will allow certain police officers to extort bribes or certain politicians to use, let's say, the blasphemy law, to jail their opponents."While much of the chatter online reflected the Aussie attitude of "no worries, mate", there is still a strong undercurrent of concern.
But Bali cannot afford to have another blow to its tourism sector. Its recovery from the pandemic is slow, and many businesses and families are still trying to get back what they lost.
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