Korean tourists warned of Brunei's draconian new laws

Muslim women listen to Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah's speech during an event in Bandar Seri Begawan on April 3. The sultan called for Islamic teachings in the country to be strengthened with new Sharia punishments, including death by stoning for gay sex and adultery. AFP

By Jung Min-ho

The Korean government has advised its citizens to use “extreme care” when traveling to Brunei after the tiny nation on the island of Borneo introduced draconian criminal laws.

“Brunei's new Sharia penal code applies not only to Muslims but also to non-Muslim foreigners,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. “Koreans who live or have plans to travel to the country should be aware of it.”

The new measures, which came into force on April 3, cover a wide range of crimes, including stealing, drinking in public areas and sodomy ― a crime punishable by stoning to death.

Those who are convicted of stealing could be put behind bars and have their right hand chopped off. If they offend a second time, they may lose their left foot.

If a foreigner drinks alcohol in public areas or gives it to a Muslim, he or she could face up to two years in prison.

If someone tries to spread any religious faith other than Islam, he or she could face up to six months in prison.

Brunei, an oil-rich former British protectorate with a population of just 430,000, is ruled by the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah. Thanks to the country's oil industry, he is believed to be among the wealthiest people in the region.

“(The sultan) does not expect other people to accept and agree with it, but that it would suffice if they just respect the nation in the same way that it also respects them,” Brunei's official website reads.

The move has brought international condemnation.

Human Rights Watch described the new penal code as “barbaric to the core” and urged the sultan to “immediately suspend amputations, stoning and all other rights-abusing provisions and punishments.”

The U.S. State Department also criticized the laws that run counter to Brunei's international human rights obligations, “including with respect to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”