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Tag: Brunei News

Get the latest LGBT+ Brunei News from THEGAYUK. Breaking news, features and interviews from the gay community in Brunei.

  • Transport for London removes Brunei adverts

    Transport for London has removed adverts from Brunei across its network.

    Adverts which called Brunei an “Abode of Peace” have been removed from across the Transport for London network. The removal comes after numerous people complained about the advert’s messaging following on from Brunei’s decision to enact a law which introduces the death penalty for sex between men.

    Numerous travellers on the network implored TfL to removed the posters, with many saying that the slogan “an abode for peace” was not accurate, particularly for LGBT+ people in the region.

    A statement from TfL said that the advert when reviewed against their policy it is clear that “this is an issue of great public sensitively and controversy” and said that the poster would be removed from the network.

    It also said any future adverts would be “reviewed against the advertising policy, and information that has recently come to light would be considered in any decision”.

     

    Travel boycotts

    ©-anterovium-Depositphotos

    Set featured image

    At least one major travel firm has said it would no longer offer flights on the government-owned airline, Royal Brunei Airlines. STA Travel said, “We’re proud of our open and diverse culture and we expect our partners to demonstrate the same. We do not support in any way the laws being introduced in Brunei (including on Brunei-registered aircraft and vessels). Because of this, we have stopped selling Royal Brunei Airlines flights”.

  • Perez Hilton insists the son of the Sultan of Brunei is not endangered after outting him

    Perez Hilton insists the son of the Sultan of Brunei is not endangered after outting him

    Perez Hilton has insisted that he has not endangered the life of a Brunei prince who he outted last week.

    Perez Hilton has hit out at critics who say that he has endangered the life of one of the Sultan of Brunei’s sons, Prince Azim, whom he outted as gay last week. The 36-year-old Prince is fourth in line to the throne in the Kingdom of Brunei.

    Speaking in a video, Perez Hilton explained his reasoning behind the decision to out the Prince saying, “Do you know the law? I have read the law. Before attacking me, read what the new law says”,

    He added that it is not illegal to be gay in Brunei, but illegal to have gay sex.

    Perez then went on to say that the Sultan’s son, would not be murdered just because he was gay.

    He also pointed out that the burden of proof was “heavy”, saying that “in order for you to be stoned to death, you have to be convicted and in order for you to be convicted there needed to be four witnesses that saw this gay act”.

    He went on to add that he thought that the likelihood of anyone, especially Prince Azim, being stoned to death in Brunei was “zero”.

    Brunei has now adopted a law which allows for the death penalty, death by stoning, to be used on men who are found having same-sex sexual relations with each other.

    Many people have criticised the fact that Perez outted Prince Azim, but Perez said, “I know the Prince of Brunei, his Dad probably knows that he’s gay, in fact, I’m going to go a step above and say that his Dad knows that he is gay. That’s why I felt the extra need just to out him because knowing your son is gay and still enacting this law, which is symbolic – it sucks”.

    Prince Azim has never publicly acknowledged his sexuality.

  • UK’s government updates advice for LGBT travellers to Brunei

    UK’s government updates advice for LGBT travellers to Brunei

    The UK government has updated its travel advice for its LGBT citizens planning to take a trip to Brunei following on from the introduction of the death penalty for homosexual acts.

    1966666 / Pixabay

    The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FOC) has updated its travel advice to LGBT+ people planning to travel to Brunei – after legislation recently changed in the nation, which affects LGBT+ people.

    Brunei has now adopted a law which allows for the death penalty, death by stoning, to be used on men who are found having same-sex sexual relations with each other.

    The UK Government’s advice warns travellers, “Homosexual activity is illegal” and warns travellers to “find out about the local laws and customs of the country and area you’re visiting.

    “In some countries, homosexuality and/or homosexual relations are illegal and can be subject to severe penalties”.

    The office also suggest, “invest in a good guide book – many specialise in advice to LGBT travellers”

    Not all laws or punishments will affect non-Muslims in the region.

    The adoption of sharia-based laws in the Muslim majority country means that Muslims found guilty of engaging in gay sex will be stoned to death, those who are not Muslim may receive lengthy prison sentences. The law also means that anyone found guilty of committing adultery or trying to denounce Islam or insulting the Prophet Muhammad will also be dealt with the death penalty.

    Those found guilty of theft will have their hands amputated. Not all laws or punishments will affect non-Muslims in the region.

    Homosexuality is already illegal in Brunei and is one of 35 of 53 nations of the Commonwealth in which homosexuality is illegal. It is the second of those nations to make the “crime” punishable by death.

     

     

  • Major travel company boycotts Royal Brunei Airlines

    Major travel company boycotts Royal Brunei Airlines

    A major travel company has said it will no longer offer flights from the Brunei owned airline.

    gay travel tips

    STA Travel has said it is to stop offering its customers flights from the Brunei-backed airline, Royal Brunei Airlines. The move to boycott the airline has come on the back of the decision of the nation’s government to use the death penalty to punish sex between gay and bisexual men.

    From last week gay and bisexual men who are caught having sexual relations will be stoned to death in a brutal shake-up of the nation’s laws. The new punishment which has its basis in sharia law also allows for stoning for those caught committing adultery and apostasy.

    Embed from Getty Images

    The travel company has also offered refunds for anyone who has already bought tickets to travel on the Airline.

    The airline, which is a small player in terms of airline size enjoys codeshares with 10 other airlines including KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Thai Airlines.

    In a statement to THEGAYUK, STA travel said,

    “We’re proud of our open and diverse culture and we expect our partners to demonstrate the same. We do not support in any way the laws being introduced in Brunei (including on Brunei-registered aircraft and vessels). Because of this, we have stopped selling Royal Brunei Airlines flights.

    “Anybody who bought Royal Brunei Airlines tickets through STA Travel and who no longer wants to use them can claim a refund, and we will help those customers to make alternative travel arrangements.

    “We’ve taken this stance to add our voice to the calls on Brunei to reverse this change in the law and in support of LGBTQI people everywhere.

  • Protests to take place outside Sultan of Brunei’s Dorchester Hotel

    Protests to take place outside Sultan of Brunei’s Dorchester Hotel

    A demonstration is due to take place outside The Dorchester Hotel in London in protest to the death penalty for gay sex in Brunei.

     

    A demonstration is to take place outside the Sultan of Brunei owned Dorchester Hotel in London this Saturday, 6th April 2019. The protest comes as Brunei enacts a law which will see men who have sex with other men face the death penalty by stoning.

    Embed from Getty Images

    The demonstration has been created by Benali Hamdache, a Green Party candidate for the London Assembly.

    Explaining why the demonstrating was going ahead on the official Facebook page, Hamdache wrote, “Brunei has announced that gay sex and adultery will be punishable by death. The Sultan of Brunei is one of the richest men in the world and is personally responsible for this hideous law.

    “He is also the owner of The Dorchester Hotel. Join our demonstration to make it clear that everyone should be boycotting his hotels”.

    The punishment of stoning to death, which has its basis in sharia law will target Muslim LGBT+ people in the region. The law will so see death penalties for those who commit adultery and rape. Those who are caught stealing will have their hands amputated. There will be fines or other punishments for those who miss prayers on a Friday.

    The demonstration will take place outside the Dorchester hotel in London from 2 PM until 4 PM.

     

     

     

  • Piers Morgan wants us all to have gay sex in the Sultan of Brunei’s hotels

    Piers Morgan wants us all to have gay sex in the Sultan of Brunei’s hotels

    As Brunei enacts a law that will punish the act of gay sex by stoning to death, Piers Morgan rails against a boycott of the Sultan of Brunei’s hotels.

    Taking to his Daily Mail column, Piers Morgan has asked that we don’t boycott the Sultan of Brunei’s hotels, instead turn them into huge orgies of gayness, colour and pride.

    His plea comes as Brunei enacts a law which will see any man found guilty of having gay sex stoned to death.

    While some celebs like Ellen DeGeneres, Elton John and George Clooney have called for a boycott of Sultan owned hotels, such as The Dorchester in London and The Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, Piers has asked every LGBT person to fill the hotels with gay abandon and filling the Sultan’s hotels with lots of gay sex.

    Embed from Getty Images

    He writes,

    “Rather than stay away, let’s go the other way and flood the Sultan of Bigotry’s hotels with as many gay people as can possibly fit inside them”.

    “I urge wealthy gay men and women to buy up every room, book every table for breakfast, lunch and dinner; reserve every reception suite for private parties, work receptions, meetings and charity fundraisers; take every appointment at every spa; fill up the gyms, preferably in bright pink lycra; mill around the pools dressed like Perez Hilton; demand Diana Ross’s ‘I’m Coming Out’ is played on a 24-hour loop in every lobby.

    “Oh, and let’s have at least three gay weddings a day, every day, every month, in every hotel. Make the Sultan of Bigotry’s collection a magnificent monument to gay marriage.

    “In short, I urge the gay people of the world to rise up and hit him where it will REALLY hurt him: his reputation”

    Embed from Getty Images

    “Humiliated”

    Piers continued, “Imagine how humiliated and small he would feel if his hotels became the very epicentre of gay pride and culture; if every inch of every place he owns from London to Paris to LA reverberated with joyous celebration of living, breathing, fornicating homosexuality.

    One of 13 nations where being gay can get you the death penalty

    Where In The World Is Homosexuality Pubishable By Death
    CREDIT: TheGayUK

    Brunei has now introduced the horrific punishment as part of the implementation of sharia law and will apply to sodomy, adultery and rape. The law will only apply to the kingdom’s Muslim population which makes up around two-thirds of the demographic.

    Alcohol is banned in Brunei and there are punishments for having children outside of marriage. There is also a fine for missing prayer on a Friday.

    Brunei is just one of 13 countries where being gay or being guilty of homosexual acts can still land you a death penalty.

    “Vicious”

    Amnesty Internation have called the punishment “vicious” and called upon Brunei to “immediately halt” its plans to introduce stoning.

  • Brunei to start stoning to death as punishment for homosexuality from today

    Brunei to start stoning to death as punishment for homosexuality from today

    The Kingdom of Brunei’s anti-gay punishment will come into effect today, meaning anyone found guilty of engaging a raft of behaviours including homosexuality will be stoned to death.

    1966666 / Pixabay

    Brunei‘s stoning death penalty is to be implemented today despite a massive international backlash. The adoption of sharia-based laws means that anyone found guilty of engaging in gay sex will be stoned to death. The law also means that anyone found guilty of committing adultery or trying to denounce Islam or insulting the Prophet Muhammad will also be dealt with the death penalty.

    Those found guilty of theft will have their hands amputated.

    Not all laws or punishments will affect non-Muslims in the region.

    Homosexuality is already illegal in Brunei and is one of 35 of 53 nations of the Commonwealth in which homosexuality is illegal. It is the second of those nations to make the “crime” punishable by death.

    What has the UK said it will do?

    In 2018 the UK’s government launched an LGBT+ action plan, in which it said it wanted to deal with issues faced by the LGBT community across the Commonwealth. Part of the plan specifically mentioned the Commonwealth. The government has offered support to Commonwealth countries wishing to reform discriminatory legislation. There is a £5.6 million programme, to be delivered through civil society organisations and will advance the legal equality and rights of all Commonwealth citizens, regardless of gender, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity. However, critics say that £5.6 million is a minuscule amount of money to split between the nations that could consider decriminalising homosexuality.

    The government also stated it would, “work through UK embassies, high commissions and through international organisations, including the United Nations, European institution and the Commonwealth, to protect and promote LGBT rights and to address laws discriminating against LGBT people”.

    Theresa May: anti-gay laws are “were wrong then, and they are wrong now”.

    In April 2018, the UK’s Prime Minister, Theresa May said that anti-gay laws in the Commonwealth “were wrong then, and they are wrong now”.

    In a speech to the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), Ms May said, “I am all too aware that these laws were often put in place by my own country. They were wrong then, and they are wrong now

    “As the UK’s prime minister, I deeply regret both the fact that such laws were introduced, and the legacy of discrimination, violence and even death that persists today,” she added.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • People are calling on the Commonwealth to intervene on Brunei’s gay sex death penalty

    People are calling on the Commonwealth to intervene on Brunei’s gay sex death penalty

    As Brunei confirms it is to start using the death penalty for those found guilty of gay sex, people are calling on the Commonwealth to intervene.

    Brunei has confirmed that it is to use the death penalty for those found engaging in same-sex relationships and adultery from early April 2019. The kingdom has stated that it will use stoning to death as punishment for those found breaking sharia law.

    Brunei is currently part of the Commonwealth and people are asking it to intervene or make a statement condemning the horrific move by Brunei’s government.

    However, the head of the Commonwealth is her Majesty, the Queen, who has to remain politically neutral, so having her speak out against Brunei’s inhumane policy might be a non-starter.

    As it stands homosexuality is actually illegal in 35 of the 53 nations that make up the Commonwealth. There are two nations which currently have the death penalty for same-sex relationships between men. Northern Nigeria and Brunei. There are some countries which have a maximum of life in prison, these include, Bangladesh, Barbados, Guyana, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Uganda.

    A petition has been launched calling on Paul Scully MP, UK trade envoy to Brunei and Richard Graham MP, UK trade envoy to ASEAN (of which Brunei is a member) to publicly condemn these barbaric laws to make a stand against the barbaric punishment.

    https://twitter.com/NathWrites/status/1111326539860332544

    https://twitter.com/Light_Yagami128/status/1111280111972745216

     

  • Brunei introduces stoning to death for being gay

    Brunei introduces stoning to death for being gay

    Brunei is to introduce stoning to death as a punishment for homosexual acts and adultery from April.

    1966666 / Pixabay

    Homosexuality and adultery could land you a death sentence, via stoning, in Brunei, if you’re found guilty from April. Homosexuality has been illegal in the kingdom since British colonial rule.

    Instead of lengthy jail sentences for those found guilty of a raft of crimes, including homosexuality and adultery, Brunei will be handing out a death sentence. The new punishment of death by stoning, is set to become policy from the 3rd of April.

    The nation is set to introduce the horrific punishment as part of the implementation of sharia law and will apply to sodomy, adultery and rape. The law will only apply to the kingdom’s Muslim population which makes up around two-thirds of the demographic.

    Alcohol is banned in Brunei and there are punishments for having children outside of marriage. There is also a fine for missing pray on a Friday.

    Brunei is just one of 13 countries where being gay or being guilty of homosexual acts can still land you a death penalty.

    “Vicious”

    Amnesty Internation have called the punishment “vicious” and called upon Brunei to “immediately halt” its plans to introduce stoning.

    Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Amnesty International’s Brunei Researcher, said, “Brunei must immediately halt its plans to implement these vicious punishments and revise its Penal Code in compliance with its human rights obligations.

    “The international community must urgently condemn Brunei’s move to put these cruel penalties into practice.

    “Some of the potential ‘offences’ should not even be deemed crimes at all, including consensual sex between adults of the same gender.”

    What does Sharia Law say

    Sharia law is Islam’s legal system, derived from the Koran –

    • Informs every aspect of Muslims’ lives
    • Islamic jurists issue formal guidance through fatwas or religious edicts
    • Sharia law includes provisions for capital and corporal punishment but modern scholars say getting to that stage can be difficult
    • Marriage is treated as a contract in Islam
      From The BBC