CANGGUWEEKLY
TheWeeklyNewsMagazineForCanggu&Surroundings
Accordingtothepolice,BJC,a womanfromthePhilippines,went outonthenightofNov.20with herfriends,anotherFilipino womanidentifedasMandan AmericanmanidentifedasJP.
villainBatuMejanat2amon Nov.21.
carriesa12-yearprison sentence.
AnAmericanmanhasbeen chargedwiththerapeofa FilipinowomaninCanggu,while thevictim’sfriendmayalsoface jailtimeforhelpingthealleged rapist.
“Theyarefriends.Thevictimwas havinganightoutintownwith them,maybedinnerandsoon,” BadungPoliceChiefLeoDedy Defretessaidyesterday.
ThepartyofthreeretiredtoJP’s
BJCexcusedherselftogoto thebathroom.Whenshegot out,JPcarriedouttherape whileMheldherdownbyher arms.
BJCreportedtheincidenttothe policethenextday.Thealleged culpritsweredetainedand chargedwithrapeunderthe SexualViolenceLaw,which
“Wearegoingintowhattheir motiveswere,”Leosaid.
Leoaddedthatpolicehave BJC’sphysicalandmentalwellbeinginmindbeforetheycango deeperintheirinvestigation.
(Coconuts.co)
Yesterday,Indonesia’s parliamentpassedamajor revisiontothecountry’scriminal code(RKUHP).Thesweeping changescomewithserious concernsabouttheirimpacton freedomofspeechandother rights,butalmostevery internationalmediaoutlethas frameditscoveragearoundthe criminalizationofextra-marital sex,withmanyfocusingonthe threatthatforeigntouristsinBali willfaceforboinkingoutsidethe boundsofholymatrimony.
Whiletherearemanythingsto beextremelyworriedabout whenitcomestothenew criminalcode,touristsgetting tossedinjailforgettingitonis notoneofthem.
Adulteryisacrimepunishable byuptooneyearinprison underthenewcriminalcodeand itdoesindeedapplyto foreignersaswell.Butthelaw stipulatesthatonlyimmediate familymembers(spouse, parents,orchildren)whomay benegativelyimpactedby adulteryorsexoutside marriage,canreportadulterers forthecrime.
Sotheonlyscenarioinwhich twounmarriedtouristscouldfall afoulofthelawisiftheybrought theirfamiliesalongwiththem andoneoftheirfamilymembers decidedtoreportthemtothe Indonesianpolice.
Anotherslightlymorerealistic
butstillimprobablescenario wouldbeaforeigntourist hookingupwithanIndonesian andtheirdirectfamilyreporting them.
Thenewcriminalcodealso makescohabitationacrime punishablebyuptosixmonths inprison.Butagain,onlydirect family,whomaybenegatively impactedbyone’scohabitation, canreporttheoffenderforthis crime.
Whilesomepoliticianswanted RKUHPtospecifcallymake homosexualactsillegal,thefnal versionofthebilldoesnot includesuchlaws.However, thereareconcernsthatthe prohibitionsonadulteryand
cohabitationcouldbeusedas toolstoprosecutethealready persecutedmembersofthe LGBTQ+communityin Indonesia.EvenbeforeRKUHP, arbitraryenforcementofother piecesoflegislationthatpolice morality,liketheAntiPornographyLaw,havebeen usedtocriminalizemembersof thecommunity.
Itwillstilltake2-3yearsbefore thenewcriminalcodeis enacted,anditwilllikelyface numerouscourtchallenges beforethen,whichcouldleadto therepealoralterationofcertain laws.
Despitetherisktotouristsbeing negligible,itseemslikelythatit willhaveanimmediate,negative impactonthetourismindustry. Balitravelgroupsonsocial mediaarealreadybuzzingwith angrycommentsaboutfuture tripsbeingcanceled,which couldcauseamajorsetbackfor theisland’spost-covideconomic recovery.
Theperceptionthatthesocalled‘Baliboinkban’isineffect isclearlyoutthere,as evidencedbythisrecent headlinefromAustraliansatirical newsoutletBeetotaAdvocate:
Hewasn’tthefrstnortheonly foreignertryingtomakeabuck (oraquid)inBali,yetan Englishmanisreportedlysetto bedeportedfromIndonesiafor sellingburgersinKuta.
TDhasbeensomewhatofaviral sensationrecently,aftera
TikTokerpostedvideosofthe Englishmansellingburgersout ofacartthatheattachedtoa motorbike.TDpromotedhis IDR25Kbeefburgersand cheeseburgersashalal,and saidthathehadbeenwheeling aroundKutaforthepastthree weeks.
Today,KutaBendesaAdat (traditionalvillageleader) WayanWasistasaidtheyheard aboutTDandreportedhimto Immigration,whothen apprehendedhim.Immigration hasalsoreleasedaphotoof TDLattheNgurahRaioffce.
It’snotimmediatelyclearwhat,if any,staypermitrulesTDhad violated,orwhetherhisrun-in withimmigrationhadanythingto dowithburgersatall.Wayan saidthathelearnedfrom ImmigrationthatTDisbeing deportedfromIndonesia.
“Immigrationiswaitingonpolice toobecause[TD]madeascene duringtheBaliBombing Memorial,”Wayansaid.
Wayanwasreferringtoan incidentinvolvingTDonOct.12. Whenhundredsgatheredat GroundZeroBaliBombing Memorialtomarkthe20th anniversaryofthetragedy,TD disruptedproceedingsby handingoutpamphletsand shoutingconspiracytheories aboutthebombings.
PolicetookTDinforquestioning buteventuallyreleasedhim withoutanycharges.
Immigrationhasyettoissuea statementaboutTD’splanned deportation.
(Coconuts.co)
