Prime Minister of the country Narendra Modi left for a visit to Brunei and Singapore on Tuesday. Foreign Ministry Secretary Jaideep Mazumdar said on Monday that the PM is going to Brunei on the invitation of Brunei Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and he will be here on a two-day visit. This is not an ordinary country, many strict laws are applicable here. The discussion of the royal family and law here is famous in the world. Let us know how is the provision of punishment here…
What kind of a country is Brunei?
It is a rich and small country in South East Asia, where the population is less than 5 lakhs and the average age here is 73 for men and 75 for women. Brunei got independence in 1984. The South China Sea is located to its north and Malaysia is to its east, west and south. The main source of income of the government here is oil and gas, which contributes 80 percent to the country’s GDP.
How is the law of this country?
In this country, punishment is given according to Sharia law. Here the laws are similar to Taliban and some Arab countries. If someone is caught stealing, his hands are chopped off and the punishment for rape is death. The punishment for LGBTQ here is death by stoning. There is also resentment at the international level regarding this.
Strict restrictions on media
Brunei has such strict laws that under emergency powers, the government has restricted freedom of expression, including the media. There is no provision for freedom of speech in the constitution or law. The law here allows the government to close newspapers without any prior notice or reason. Local newspapers have to obtain operating licenses and government permission to hire foreign editorials, staff, journalists and printers. At the same time, the government also has a provision to stop foreign publications.
Prison and heavy fine can also be imposed
The government has the only local television station, three Malaysian television channels and two satellite television services. Under the law, there is also a provision to prosecute newspaper publishers, owners or editors. If any seditious things are published against the government, then a case can be filed. The punishment can be that publication can be stopped for one year. There will also be a ban on publishing or writing under any other name. Permission has to be taken even to interview someone. Journalists who are found guilty of writing “false and malicious” reports can be heavily fined or jailed for up to three years.
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