In the Indonesian language, female prostitutes engaging in commercial sex are euphemistically called “kupu kupu malam” or, quite literally, “butterflies of the night.” Immigration officials in Bali have recently complained that trying to deter a growing tide of foreign women working as prostitutes is problematic.
Detik.com reports that Immigration officials freely admit they confront many difficulties in preventing foreign women from “selling themselves” in Bali.
Speaking about foreign women as commercial sex workers in Bali, Samuel Toba, the Head of Immigration in Bali’s Ministry of Law and Human Rights, explained on Wednesday, 04 December 2024: “They (the foreign prostitutes) come to Bali with an original intent of pure tourism. But, once they arrived here, they see the opportunity to work as prostitutes.”
“The intention was to come here (to Bali) for tourism. It turned out that when they got here, they saw an opportunity (to get involved in prostitution),” said the Head of the Immigration Division of Bali Ministry of Law and Human Rights Regional Office, Samuel Toba, at his office, Wednesday (4/12/2024).
Samuel continued, noting how difficult it is for Immigration officials to determine the true intentions of foreign tourists visiting Bali. In some cases, however, background information from their originating country helps Bali immigration officials identify tourist visitors with criminal records.
Usually, after being caught and questioned, the foreigners admit that they were traveling in Bali merely as a “cover.” These individuals see an opportunity for prostitution services working under the guise of entertainment or massage places.
“Because our immigration officers cannot detect when these foreigners want to work as prostitutes,” Samuel explained. He commented that one way to eliminate those foreign tourists who violate the rules is simply by tightening supervision.
Bali immigration authorities operate a foreigner monitoring team (Tim Pora) that patrols the streets and monitors the Internet to take action against foreigners who violate their residence permits in Bali.
He continued, Immigration authorities have collaborated with the Bali Provincial Government (Pemprov) and law enforcement to tighten supervision. Immigration also appeals to the public to report if they know of any foreigners suspected of violating residence permit regulations.
“Therefore, monitoring foreigners once in Indonesia is not only the responsibility of Immigration. All stakeholders, agencies, and public members are also involved in supervision. The public must provide information to officers,” Samuel said.
As widely reported in local media, Immigration officers have arrested several foreign nationals involved in prostitution in Bali in 2024. These cases have also included individuals opening “plus-plus spa services” or becoming commercial sex workers.
Most recently, two Russian citizens were arrested as “plus-plus” massage therapists. Both were eventually deported from Bal.
Police officials collected several pieces of evidence, including baby oil, sex toys, and cash in US and Australian dollars.
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