Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Brunei says it won't enforce death penalty
for gay sex
Brunei lies on the north coast of the island
of Borneo, the world’s third-largest Asia’s largest island, which is shared by Malaysia
and Indonesia. This small but oil-and-gas rich country with a population of
only 420,000 became independent from the U.K. quite recently in 1984. It is a Muslim
country and ruled and governed by the Sultan.
When this Muslim monarchy announced laws last
month that would punish gay sex and adultery by stoning to death, it met an outcry
from the world including human right activists and even celebrities. The Sultan
might not have gotten or listened to the potential outcome of the laws before the
announcement, but he became aware of the seriousness of the severe backlash
quite soon. Though he didn’t withdraw the new law, he announced an extension of
a moratorium of the death penalty. The death penalty could also be imposed for robbery
and insult of the Prophet Muhammad in Brunei. It is unclear whether capital
punishment could be executed on these crimes. But there is at least an absolute
leader who listens to others and corrects a wrong course of action before too
late.
Enjoy reading the article and learn about
this small but rich country on the largest island in Asia.
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