The truth about travelling in Aceh, Indonesia’s marijuana-crazy, ultraconservative Muslim-majority province, where sharia law rules
- The semi-autonomous province in Indonesia is known for its Muslim conservatism, but as the Post discovers, Aceh guys love to party
- From marijuana-laced food to alcoholic ‘milk’ and friendly locals, a trip through Aceh is a pleasantly eye-opening experience
Recently, 23-year-old Australian Bodhi Mani Risby-Jones made global headlines after he attacked a local fisherman during a drunken, naked rampage in Aceh, an ultraconservative Muslim-majority province on the western tip of Sumatra island, in Indonesia.
Described by Amnesty International Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid as “cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment” that “may amount to torture”, public flogging is frequently doled out in Aceh for apparently benign crimes such as playing live music, mingling with the members of the opposite sex, drinking alcohol, gambling, cross-dressing and same-sex relationships.
Last year, a woman collapsed twice while being flogged 100 times for adultery, and in 2018, two men were flogged for playing a children’s game considered a violation of sharia law. In the same year, the Aceh administration debated in parliament the introduction of beheading as a punishment for murder, although nothing came of it.
After striking a compensation deal with his victim for US$20,000, Risby-Jones will be allowed to return home without serving any additional time after his remand period. But the incident has reinforced the image of Aceh as a backward, primitive place populated by extremists and fanatics where foreigners should not dare tread. But is that a fair assessment?
Before Risby-Jones disgraced himself, I visited Aceh.
