Your aid dollar at work in Indonesia

Banda Aceh is the most devoutly Islamic of Indonesia’s provinces. In recent years it has introduced strict new Sharia-based laws, including a prescription for the stoning of adulterers — which has not yet been implemented.

Transcript:

00.00 They are getting ready for another trip through the city, the Sharia police in Banda Aceh in Indonesia…

00.09 …armed only with morality and Islamic Sharia law, they begin their work.

00.15 The police unit, Wilayatul Hisbah, have as their goal to spot women with trousers that are too tight, unmarried
couples who are too close or…

00.25 …sinners who have enjoyed alcohol or a game of poker. Sharia law was introduced in 2002 and has put severe restrictions on the citizens.

00.37 And it does not take long before the Sharia police detect suspicious behavior. Down by the waterfront a young couple is asked to explain why they are sitting so close.

00.49 We proceed without aggressive behavior so that these criminals will understand the intention of our patrolling.

00.57 …Marsouk tells us. He is the chief of the Sharia police in Aceh.

01.00 These two young girls are stopped because of their choice of trousers. The two girls leave in shame after being addressed by the Sharia police.

01.11 Opinions about these laws are divided in the city.

01.16 This is a crime against human rights, but the laws introduced in Aceh, such as not wearing too tight clothes, are still sensible, says the student Ramadan al-Fiyad.

01.29 I think that the implementation of Sharia law should continue, says this woman, Surayah Devi, another citizen from Aceh.

01.38 In September the government decided to implement a decision under the law which meant that adultery can now be punished with stoning to death.

01.47 The decision has created strong reactions, and the result is that the initiative is now up for an evaluation before being fully implemented.

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Comments

  1. the ringer from the west says

    Nuclear power is the only way to go Mr rud or abbott.

    give the people a say REFERENDUM.

  2. I am sick and tired of the media discrediting renewable energy. There has been several programs on these stupid commercial channels which portray wind energy as a 'nuisance' because there are a handful of residents which are effected by the constant noise of the turbines turning. Come on, if that's the only negatives that they can muster up then that's ridiculous. If they portray the negatives of nuclear energy then they would have a list a mile long. It just shows Australians where the media's interests are. Is it really worth shutting down wind energy because of two or three residents complaining? I'm sure they could be bought out and the land returned to farmland or a nature reserve or some similar use. If there really was anyone in government serious about renewable energy, then I'm sure we would have a solid foundation and a strategy by now. The solar program that was started under Howard was also stopped by Rudd. It just shows people that this government is not serious about a strategy for renewable energy. They are doing it in California with a combination of solar and tidal energy and we haven't even made an attempt.

  3. Thanks Sandon. If one is unhappy with Australia's response to foreign spending etc, we need to put the blame where it belongs. By blaming the Indonesians for Australian funding is transferring the responsibility. It was not their decision. Equally, blaming the Sri-Lankans and Indonesians for the flood of boat people to Australia is equally misdirected. It's our parliament which makes the laws and is responsible for enforcing them, so we can take a hard line or we can be soft. Unfortunately we are witnessing the consequences of soft laws. We could break our UN agreement on asylum seekers, likewise even with our UN agreement, we can be a lot more hardline than at present. Australia needs to take responsibility for it's future instead of blaming everyone else for our demise. It's not their fault that 'our' politicians are blind.

  4. Really Luke – Indonesia has NEVER had any respect for Australia. If it did, it would allow a FULL official investigation into the Balibo incident and stop DELIBERATELY allowing people smugglers to run rackets within their borders. The Indonesian government and their military arm are laughing at us. Hell, we have educated and trained half their people, and in turn they are using that knowledge to screw us over. They already teach their kids that the northern part of Australia belongs to them. And as for your charge that America tells other countries what to do………….have no fear, the Communist Chinese government is set to take their place in the very near future. Any country that doesn't comply with Chinese 'requests' will get the Tibetian treatment, with individuals like Stern Hue facing 20 years in a gulgag or 're-education camp' on trumped up charges. How does that work for you Luke??

    • Catty, Who's fault is it that Australian dollars go to Indonesia? On Balibo, don't you think that enough time has gone passed to know the wrong but to let the issue rest? Does it bring these people back to life when the Indonesians admit to deliberately killing them? Who's fault is it that Australia trained the Indonesian military? Also, do you think that because the Chinese have these plans for takeover that the Americans are automatically correct? How does the Australian government which advocates this behaviour and even contributes to it work for you Catty? You see the fault in them but fail to look at Canberra where the situation is far worse and where the problems have germinated.

      • Try telling Hazel Shackleton that Balibo should be laid to rest when successive Indonesian governments have engaged in an official coverup for decades, and to add insult to injury allowed the perps to live free as birds. Hell, one of the men known to be responsible was promoted.

        Past and present Australian governments think by training these arseholes it will foster 'better relations'. At the end of the day all our training and education will be eventually used against us. Obviously we haven't learnt from the Japanese experience of selling our iron ore to them as they were plotting and scheming against us…..even as Japanese 'cultural' delegations in the form of sweet kimino clad girls were visiting Brisbane prior to the war.

        And as for America – without her this planet would be overun with rogue regimes like North Korea / Iran, and despotic regimes like Mugabe. The utter failure of the UN to deal with people like this speaks volumes. The UN oversaw the most brutal genocide since the Jews and dithered as millions were hacked to death in Rwanda. Take note that China feels quite at home dealing with both groups. They are already doing grubby deals with the likes of Mugabe. China is set to dominate in Africa……at great cost to this planet. They will make the Yanks look like mere amateurs when it comes to 'meddling'………in less than 20 years time.

        • Catty, so we should condemn the entire Indonesian population because of what happened to the Balibo five? Catty, do you realize that these regimes you write about are likely in bed with America. Hillary Clinton is a great friend of Mugabe. America is also good at standing aside while people are brutalized. How do you think Russia feels when the Americans put anti-missile bases right next to Russia's border? What would the Americans do if Russia put one near them? Doesn't the Russian government have a right to protect its citizens from American suppression? It is also a modern democracy and has a right to protect its people also. See Catty how there are rules for all nations except America. I also want to keep Indosesia at a distance but one needs to seek the truth and not just jump into bed with the lesser of two evils.

  5. Kevin Rudd's electorate office: 630 Wynnum Road, Morningside, Queensland 4170. Postal address: Box 476, Morningside, Queensland, 4170. Phone: 07-3899 4031.

  6. I do think we need to respect their laws and not interfere in the way they run their country. I expect them to do the same for our nation also. I think the world is sick and tired of one nation telling another how they should be doing things. I think we all know the one nation on earth which dictates and pokes their nose into everyone else’s business and I think the world has had enough of this bullying. It’s also not their fault that our silly government give them money, infact they are pretty wise aren’t they? I think that people are venting their anger at the wrong people. If our government is giving them our money, then who’s fault is that? These people have had their beliefs for thousands of years so do you really think they are going to take notice of a swag of do-gooders in the western world?

  7. From both of your opinions, i have gathered one thing, you are against the government for spending money and resources on ungreats who do not care about ther own people. I think all nations should stick to themselves and not impose things on each other. I always maintained if we looked after our own first,our wealth would be more. Our generosity to try help other not so forgiving countries would then come from us, just like it used to. I have no problem, a government helping the likes of Haiti, devastated by earthquake, but to help a country, that never does any good with it, at our expense is insane.

    Balibo may have passed a long time but the same senario just keeps happening over and over and over again. This new world order or communist regime is the killer of the world. 2012 isn't far away now. Goodbye people!!

  8. Both Howard & Rudd have sent billions to Aceh – and it has been revealed of late that much of it CANNOT be accounted for! Many think it has gone into building new Islamic Mosques & Madrassa`s! Think how many hospitals, schools, doctors, nurses and teachers that could have provided for this country! It's OUR damned money and they are giving it away like drunken sailors !!!!!!!!!

  9. I guess where feminism fought for womens rights over here will see them up in arms about this. I for one think Feminism has gone way too far now vilifying men and taking our masculinity away but to revert to this way of life is criminal. Which then stands to reason that, i myself believe in equality for men and women but not the current feminists that have destroyed so many good fathers lives. Other then that for equal rights to women, i would see this as a blatant disregard to there freedom. Not to mention as a man sitting next to your loved one too closely, would see you breaking the law. How ridiculous?

  10. Definitely, I do not whant this repugnant way of life – Sharia Law in Australia. O! Am I being a racist??? Or , may be I have just vilified some religion? The Uni student (!) in the video says: "It is against human rights but it is sensible." My point is, that when this morons come to Australia, they want to implement the Sharia Law too. I find this idea at odds with the values of democracy and freedom.
    How can it be stopped?

  11. Don’t worry it’s coming to a place in Sydney soon enough……. thanks again Kev and Co… traitors to us all!!

  12. Nicholas Folkes says

    "These two young girls are stopped because of their choice of trousers". Another example of the omni-oppression nature of Islam. I bet they wouldn't be chastising males for wearing shorts on a hot day.

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