(CMR) Indonesia's parliament has banned sex outside marriage with a punishment of up to one year in jail, a law critics say threatens human rights and freedoms in the Southeast Asian country.
There are also concerns that the laws passed on Tuesday may scare away tourists from its shores and harm investment.
Lawmakers approved a new criminal code that will apply to Indonesians and foreigners alike and also prohibit cohabitation between unmarried couples. It will also ban insulting the president or state institutions, spreading views counter to the state ideology, and staging protests without notification, Reuters reported.
However, the code will not come into effect for three years to allow for implementing regulations to be drafted. Currently, Indonesia bans adultery but not premarital sex.
According to Reuters, Maulana Yusran, deputy chief of Indonesia's tourism industry board, said the new code was “totally counter-productive” at a time when the economy and tourism were starting to recover from the pandemic.
“We deeply regret the government have closed their eyes. We have already expressed our concern to the ministry of tourism about how harmful this law is,” he said.
Foreign arrivals in the holiday destination of Bali are expected to reach pre-pandemic levels of six million by 2025, the tourism association has said previously, as the island recovers from the impacts of COVID-19.
Indonesia is also trying to attract more “digital nomads” by offering a more flexible visa.
Putu Winastra, chairman of the Association of the Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies (ASITA) in Bali, told CNN the laws would “make foreigners think twice” about visiting Indonesia.
“From our point of view as tourism industry players, this law will be very troublesome,” said Putu, questioning how the laws would be policed.
“Should we ask (overseas unmarried couples) if they are married or not? Do tourist couples have to prove that they are married?” he asked.
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