Ahmad Pathoni, Banda Aceh – Stories about young unmarried couples in Aceh Province arrested by religious patrol officers make frequent headlines in local newspapers with tabloids exposing details of the offenders' sexual trysts.

Staunchly Muslim Aceh has imposed some aspects of Shariah, or Islamic law, since 2002 under an autonomy scheme granted by the central government as part of attempts to pacify a clamor there for independence.

A series of regulations, known as qanuns, criminalize consumption and sale of alcoholic beverages, gambling and illicit relations between men and women, with caning the main punishment. Muslim women are required to wear headscarves.

A government agency called the Wilayatul Hisbah was set up in 2003 to monitor the implementation of regulations, but seven years after Islamic law came into force, many Acehnese are critical of how it is being implemented.

Some Acehnese said the Wilayatul Hisbah focuses too much on individual moral behavior while others accused enforcers of ignoring offenses committed by the rich and powerful.

"The way they implement Shariah is so silly," said Aprilia, a woman who works for a government office in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh. "They only focused on arresting unmarried couples and don't even bother gamblers anymore.

"People with money can bribe their way out of trouble. For a few million rupiah, you can get away," she said.

Another Acehnese criticized Shariah patrol officers for what he called preferential treatment.

"I support Shariah, but it seems to me it is only being enforced on the poor," said Wahdar, who sells cellphone vouchers.

"Rich people go to hotels and commit adultery, but they are never arrested," he said. "Poor unmarried couples can only afford to go to the beach, and that's where they get arrested."

Critics said the antivice patrol by Wilayatul Hisbah officers encourage people to report on their neighbor and promote a kind of moral vigilantism.

The head of provincial Shariah affairs, Ziauddin Ahmad, defended the implementation of the laws, saying that in most cases, offenders were released after being given religious advice.