In the Loop: Hotel raids and confiscated condoms, what the Bali ‘bonk ban’ means for Kiwis

Indonesia’s new criminal code would see sex outside marriage punished with a jail sentence. Photo / 123RF

Indonesia has long been hailed as a tropical paradise by Kiwi travelers.

Cheap airfares, friendly locals and well-priced accommodation is enough to lure many out of their winter hibernation. With Bali, a majority Hindu Indonesia Island east of Java, being the well-trodden favourite

But a revised criminal code, which includes a law labelled by some as a “bonk ban”, could make the classic Bali getaway far less alluring for New Zealanders. Especially the unmarried ones.

The new law basically make it easier to prosecute those caught having sex outside of marriage and will affect both locals and visitors to the country.

While international headlines have largely been dominated by the sex restrictions, many Indonesians fear other aspects of the new code will have more serious repercussions.

On this week’s In the Loop podcast, hosts Cheree Kinnear and Katie Harris discuss the new laws, how they may impact Kiwi travelers and chat to Jakarta Feminist’s director Vivi Restuviani about what it’s like on the ground.

Nothing is going to change immediately, as the new criminal code won’t come into effect for at least the next three years.

Those busted can be punished with up to a year in jail.

Later on the show, Cheree unpacks the airline fuel shortage, then a decision has been made in the vaccine-blood case regarding a baby needing urgent surgery and amateur TikTok sleuths are trying to discover who is responsible for murders in Idaho.