Banda Aceh – A convicted gambler from North Sumatra was caned in front of hundreds of spectators Friday in Banda Aceh.

The convicted gambler, identified as Syafaruddin Nasution, 35, was lashed 10 times with a bamboo cane after Friday prayers outside the Ateuk Pahlawan Mosque in the Baiturrahman district.

Prosecutor Hermansyah said that Syafaruddin Nasution was caught gambling with four other cohorts Dec. 23. "But Syafaruddin was the only one sentenced to that punishment because the four others were non-Muslim," he said. It was the fifth such case since sharia law was implemented three years ago in the province.

Also in attendance to see the man caned was Banda Aceh Mayor Gazali Yusuf, who called on non-governmental organization (NGO) workers and pendatang (newcomers) to respect sharia law, saying that only one of 18 caned convicts was born and raised in Banda Aceh. "Alhamdullilah (Praise be to Allah), it means the people of Banda Aceh respect the sharia," he said.

The sharia law was imposed in 2003 as part of an autonomy package authorized by the central government in an attempt to quash separatism. According to the law, flogging may be used to punish various crimes ranging from fraud, adultery and use of alcohol to gambling and "intimacy" between unmarried couples.