Australia seeks clarity over Indonesia’s ban on sex outside marriage

SYDNEY - Australia said on Wednesday that it is seeking more information on Indonesia’s move to criminalise sex outside of marriage, as the ban’s impact on tourists to Bali and other parts of the Muslim-majority nation remains unclear.

Canberra said it is seeking further clarity after

Jakarta on Tuesday

approved legislation to overhaul its criminal code

and outlaw sex outside of marriage.

“We understand these revisions will not come into force for three years, and we await further information on how the revisions will be interpreted as implementing regulations are drafted and finalised,” a foreign affairs spokesman said.

Officials would regularly and carefully reassess risks to Australians overseas, and would continue to monitor the situation closely, she added.

Indonesia, north-west of Australia, is a major holiday destination. The largely Hindu island of Bali, famous for its beaches, nightlife and pumping surf, is a big draw.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, more than a million Australians a year visited the island.

Despite the change to the laws, the authorities have insisted foreigners travelling to Bali will not be affected. The new code must still be approved by President Joko Widodo.

Some of the most

controversial articles in the new code

criminalise extramarital sex and the cohabitation of unmarried couples.

Sex outside marriage will be punished with one year in prison, while unmarried people living together could face six months behind bars.

A revision of Indonesia’s criminal code, which stretches back to the Dutch colonial era, has been debated for decades.

Following the parliamentary vote, rights groups protested against the amendments, denouncing them as a crackdown on civil liberties and political freedoms.

They also characterised the move as a shift towards fundamentalism in Indonesia, where the Constitution recognises five religions alongside Islam. AFP