Word: indonesia
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...Illegal Entry Vessel (SIEV) 36 - as the Australian government later named it -has not been determined. But The Australian has reported that the fuel was deliberately ignited by the Indonesian crew members, believed to be human smugglers, as an attempt to prevent authorities from turning the boat back to Indonesia. Afghan elder Hassan Gulam, who interviewed the refugees, recently told the press that it was an accident that occurred during refueling. Wherever the truth lies, the investigation became a political powder-keg when rumors started to circulate that the Australian Defense Force had footage of Australian navy personnel pushing traumatized...
...intercepted 265 miles (420 km) north of Broome in Western Australia. Just the day before, the Australian government announced that in co-operation with Indonesian authorities 1000 potential asylum-seekers were blocked from coming to Australia this year. Those caught were following a familiar passage: a flight to Indonesia, a payment of $10,000-$15,000 to a smuggler and a makeshift place on a fishing boat barely sturdy enough to make the journey...
...Aceh is believed to be the first place in Indonesia where Islam took root, imported by traders from the Middle East. By the 15th century, the Sultan of Aceh had converted to the faith and the sultanate soon became one of the most powerful in Southeast Asia, commanding a vast spice- and mineral-trading empire. While much of Indonesian Islam is syncretic, mixing traditional local beliefs with the imported faith, Aceh's belief system is generally far closer to the orthodox form practiced in Saudi Arabia, where the law of the land is based on Shari...
...Aceh has long been one of Indonesia's most conservative regions. But in recent months, the province had actually been leaning against the extreme Islamist currents that for centuries have characterized this northwestern end of the island of Sumatra. In April's parliamentary elections, Acehnese booted out hard-line legislators in favor of politicians from the more moderate Aceh Party. The new political leaders take office in October, and their predecessors are using their last days in power to push through a variety of orthodox Muslim ordinances. Previous laws passed by the local parliament require women to wear headscarves...
...Nevertheless, some Acehnese have rallied against the harsh bylaws voted in on Monday, saying that if nothing else, they violate Indonesia's constitution and several international human-rights frameworks to which the country has acceded. Indeed, Aceh's governor, Irwandi Yusuf, a former insurgency leader, has in the past expressed discomfort with the wave of Islamic laws being passed in the province. But in a region that is so firmly committed to conservative Islam, outspoken criticism of Shari'a-based criminal law is politically risky. To wit: even though several moderate legislators in the Aceh parliament declined to endorse...