Indonesia’s holiday hotspot of Bali has ramped up checks on foreigners engaging in prostitution as the government aims to promote quality tourism by barring troublemakers and reducing traffic congestion on the island ahead of the year-end travel season.
Bali immigration chief Samuel Toba said some foreigners disguised themselves as travellers and used entertainment or massage venues as a front for sex work, breaching travel conditions.
“They intended to come here [to Bali] for vacation. It turns out, once they got here, they saw an opportunity [to get involved in prostitution],” Toba told a press briefing last Wednesday.
It was difficult to screen people coming to Bali with the intention of “selling themselves” and their true motives were exposed only during investigations, Toba said.
A law enforcement team has been deployed to prevent foreigners from providing sexual services by monitoring vice establishments and online platforms, according to Toba.
All stakeholders including the community in Bali would be part of the drive, said Toba, adding that locals should pass information about errant visitors to immigration officers.
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