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Mob tries to cut off thief's hand in Aceh

Source
Jakarta Post - June 16, 2008

Hotli Simanjuntak, Lhokseumawe – Residents in a North Aceh village almost cut off a thief's hand late Saturday, in what was the first known attempt at sharia-style punishment of its kind in the province.

Saidan, 50, was rushed to the hospital unconscious after locals in Meurah Mulia district accused him of stealing cattle and beat him up before attempting to sever his left hand.

Residents of Desa Manyang said they had heard a villager cry for help when Saidan was killing a goat in a shed behind a house. They ambushed Saidan and tried to carry out the first sharia-style punishment for stealing in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, although no such penalty formally exists here.

A local, Muhammad, said villagers had been frustrated for some time with thieves targeting their cattle. "Usually thieves kill their catch in their sheds and take the meat to market," he said.

Police said residents should not have taken the law into their own hands, adding that Aceh does not have a regulation on stealing.

Since sharia law was introduced in 2004 the provincial government has formulated bylaws on four issues – Muslim clothing, liquor, gambling and sexual behavior – all punishable by flogging in public. Natsir Ilyas, the head of the provincial sharia agency, said so far there had been 22 cases of such punishments.

North Aceh Police chief Adj. Snr. Comr. Zulkifli said locals should have delivered the suspect to the police.

"They should not have tried to cut off his hand; we have other legal ways of dealing with thieves," he told The Jakarta Post. There was no immediate report of arrests of residents involved in the incident.

Critics of sharia law in Aceh, based on its special autonomy law, say its implementation discriminates against women and the poor. Dozens of other regencies across the country have also adopted "Islamic" bylaws, making use of unprecedented authority under regional autonomy.

The government said it would review bylaws in violation of the Constitution. However in February home minister Mardiyanto said there was no problem with the bylaws, saying they were only on public order and did not apply to non Muslims.

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