Five gamblers caned in Indonesia’s Aceh province

Five men were caned in Indonesia for gambling. (File photo: Shutterstock)

Authorities in Indonesia's conservative Aceh province have caned five men for gambling.

Saabaruddin, chief of security guards in the Pidie district capital of Sigli, said Saturday that the men were caught playing dominos for money at a coffee stall in February. He said the men were detained at a city penitentiary and were convicted by a shariah court last week.

Saabaruddin, who uses one name, said hundreds of onlookers watched as the men were caned after Friday prayer at Sigli's main mosque.

He said one of the men was caned eight times, while the other four were caned seven times.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has a policy of secularism but allows Aceh, located on Sumatra island, to implement a version of Shariah, or Islamic law.
