Aceh's caning for “gay sex” amounts to torture

• published: 29 Oct 2015
• views: 178

ISIS continues to make inroads into Asia, but Indonesia has a plan that may stop recruitment. RAND Corporation’s Jonah Blank joins me and weighs in on how effective the program will be. Also, Aceh has criminalized homosexual intercourse. Human Rights Watch’s Phil Robertson discusses the implications. Plus a look at the upcoming East Asia summit and more news from the region you may have missed. Can ex-ISIS fighters deter new recruits? The world's largest cancer is that of the Islamic State. In recent weeks, the terrorist organization has continued their push into Southeast Asia, most notably with a bombing in Bangladesh that has left at least 100 dead. Like others in the region, Indonesia has struggled with ways of deterring its citizens from joining and supporting the group. Jonah Blank, Senior Political Scientist with the RAND Corporation weighs in on Jakarta's new plan and if it will be an effective mechanism to curb radicalization. United States sails into South China Sea to challenge China’s Sovereignty The United States made good on its promise to challenge Beijing’s sovereignty claims in the South China Sea by sailing the USS Lassen, one of its destroyers, inside the 12-nautical mile bubble surrounding newly constructed islands. What’s unclear from the reports is how far the USS Lassen went pass the barrier, but as we learned from Mark Cozad, Senior Defense Policy Analyst at the RAND Corporation in a recent Asia Now Podcast, it isn’t so much how deep the vessel penetrates, but the overall statement made. Aceh’s anti-gay law and regional rights Located on the northern tip of Sumatra, Indonesia is Aceh. It's the part of the country where it's believed that Islam made its way into the nation and flourished. Last year, leaders passed a law making it illegal for homosexuals to have sex. The law not only applied to permanent residents, but tourists visiting the area. If convicted of this so-called crime, one would then receive 100 lashes with a cane. Phil Robertson, Deputy Director of Human Rights Watch's Asia Division says their actions are tantamount to torture. East Asia’s trilateral meeting to take place in Seoul This weekend, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South Korean President Park Geun-hye, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are schedule to meet for the first trilateral meeting between them in Seoul. There has been substantial press around the meeting, but let’s not get too carried away with expecting too much. As low as those expectations are, they are even lower for the proposed bilateral meeting between Park and Abe on November 2nd. Maldives Vice President thought to be behind attempt on nation's leader Maldives police have arrested Vice President Ahmed Adeeb on suspicion he is linked to what is now being called an assassination attempt against President Yameen. Details have yet to be fully disclosed, but if true, would signal a significant problem in Yameen's administration. Thai police chief hangs himself ahead of royal defamation case Since the coup last year, the Thai junta has been stricter in its enforcement of the nation's lese majeste, or royal defamation law. In fact, a police major had been jailed last week as part of a high profile probe, but now that case is going nowhere, as he hanged himself while in custody. Concerns over China’s crackdown This past week, the US State Department said it was concerned over the mass detentions and crackdowns against human rights lawyers and advocates that began earlier this year. One of the high-profile cases raised by the U.S. was the continuing imprisonment of Wang Yu, a 44-year-old lawyer who took on cases, including that of Ilham Tohti, a prominent Uighur scholar who was sentenced to life in prison. Wang Yu and her husband, Bao Longjun, were among the first of hundreds taken away in a sweeping crackdown against rights lawyers this summer and just recently, her son, who was attempting to flee to the US, went missing in what some say is an attempt to put pressure on the pair. Seriously, what were they thinking? In South Korea, the nation’s Supreme Court will review a case of a man found not guilty of raping a middle school girl because according to court documents, he loves her. Then in China, a teacher stripped down the boys in her kindergarten class, took their pictures, and then posted them online because she said they looked cute. Have something to add to these or other stories? Share your opinion on Facebook, Twitter, or by messaging podcast@asianewsweekly.net. Connect with me on social media and the internet! e-mail: podcast@asianewsweekly.net Twitter: http://twitter.com/SteveMillerANW Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/asianewsweekly Podcast: http://asianewsweekly.net