The two minority ethnic Chinese Buddhist men were convicted of cock-fighting. The Buddhists opted for caning over jail time. Could offering canning as an alternative punishment to lengthy incarceration be a way to reduce prison overcrowding in the USA? The Left would probably support corporal punishment if it was “multicultural”. The canings would probably be a popular show on local cable too. Imagine if Judge Judy could sentence people to have their ass beat on national TV?

“Caning is common in Aceh for breaking the province’s strict Islamic laws, for offences ranging from drinking alcohol, to gambling to gay sex. In the past only Muslim residents could be caned but that changed in 2015, when Aceh’s regulations were overhauled. Non-Muslims who violate Islamic law can either choose to be tried under the national legal system or sharia. The two Buddhists would likely have faced jail under Indonesian nation law.”

Indonesian Buddhists caned under sharia for first time

The Nation | March 11, 2017

JANTHO, Indonesia - Indonesia’s only province to impose sharia law caned Buddhists for the first time Friday, after two men accused of cockfighting opted for punishment under the strict regulations.

Alem bin Suhadi, 57, and Amel bin Akim, 60, both ethnic Chinese and members of the Buddhist minority, were whipped in front of dozens of local officials and residents in the city of Jantho, Aceh province.