News Forum - Prank video stokes fears for unmarried tourists in Bali

[Thaiger]

Bali’s tourism industry is worried that a viral TikTok video could discourage travellers from visiting the island due to fears of prosecution over their private activities. Are security forces doing sweeps of hotel rooms to find unmarried people having sex? In some of the most Draconian measures introduced in the Southeast Asian nation for decades, …

The story Prank video stokes fears for unmarried tourists in Bali as seen on Thaiger News.

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[Shade_Wilder]

"Some people believed that authorities in Bali were truly raiding hotels to weed out the immoral lawbreakers living in sin. The Bali chapter of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) sought to reassure travellers while warning content creators to be cautious about posting videos that could harm Bali’s reputation as a safe tourist destination.

“We can guarantee that hotels will not ask for marriage certificates. Secondly, there will be no hotel raids. Thirdly, we will keep guests’ personal information confidential." (from the article)

 

Hmm...

Exactly how can you guarantee this? 

Is there a provision in the law which states that Bali Chapter of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association members are exempt from checking Marriage Certificates? Hint: No. 

Can you actually guarantee that there will be no hotel raids? I was unaware that the Security Forces in Indonesia reported to the Bali Chapter of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association.

Can you guarantee that hotel guest's information will remain confidential? I was unaware that the Bali Chapter of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association had veto power over data stored in Indonesian security forces' computers.

This is an interview with some blow-hard PR flack who believes that he has power, but doesn't.

I doubt that the Indonesian government would be so stupid as to damage Bali's tourism industry by enforcing such an idiotic law. That said, as a student of History, Government and Politics, I can tell you that it is extremely rare for a government to give itself some power and not use it. Were I a betting man, I'd wager that there will be requests for Marriage certificates, eventually. There will be raids, eventually. And, the data collected by the Bali hotels WILL end up in the Indonesian Security Forces database; I'd wager even more that it already does.

Selamat Datang and all that.

 

 

[Grumpish]

"Their country, their rules" the "liberal" apologists will cry. What is it about certain  groups (and that includes groups like the Christian fundamentalists in the US, not just Muslims) that makes them feel that they have the right to force their religious sensibilities onto everyone else?

[Pinetree]

3 hours ago, Grumpish said:

"Their country, their rules" the "liberal" apologists will cry. What is it about certain  groups (and that includes groups like the Christian fundamentalists in the US, not just Muslims) that makes them feel that they have the right to force their religious sensibilities onto everyone else?

Just dont go.  Same in Dubai and Saudi.  The answer is never visit and spend your money in repressive backward regimes. And no, before the Thai bashers pipe up with their usual rubbish, Thailand is very far from one of those.