PHRI Asks The Government To Dispute The Crime Check In Hotel Articles In The New Criminal Code

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) admits that it cannot do much about the recently passed criminal law book (KUHP). Therefore, PHRI urges the government to straighten out controversial articles in the Criminal Code that have the potential to disrupt the tourism industry. PHRI Secretary General Maulana Yusran said the controversial article in question was a ban on sex outside of marriage. Criminal sanctions for unmarried couples who check in at hotels also threaten the tourism industry.

"We hope that the government will immediately clarify, straighten this out so that it does not last too long. Because if we are like this, the tourism industry will be harmed," he told VOI, Sunday, December 11.

Furthermore, Yusran said that the classification from the government was urgent. Moreover, he said, several countries have issued travel banned and travel warning regarding this matter.

"The government said there is nothing to worry about, of course it is the government's job to convince countries that are targets of the Indonesian tourism market. This must be convinced, because those who talk generally are heads of the country, some are talking about travel banned or travel warning. This is the government's biggest homework to organize this," he said.

Therefore, he also asked the government to explain how the execution of the controversial articles in this new Criminal Code.

"The government must clearly explain what the execution will be like? And also have to be in the same tone with the police as the executor. So that there is no concern for what the public, both the Indonesian people and foreign tourists, will do," he explained.

Yusran hopes that the government can immediately provide an explanation of the controversial article in the Criminal Code, because hotel entrepreneurs are currently struggling to restore the tourism sector which was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Because this is what we are very worried about, tourism must also have a clear image and all kinds of things must be clear," he said.