Hacker News Reader

Comment by juanani | Hacker News Reader

Shameful this is happening but I was curious to why are these laws so strict there? Was it because of why/when they were written? Maybe some info on how seriously the locals live by these laws? The article could have explored that regions' strictness more, it just repeats the title, over and over into a few paragraphs. Similar to news coverage of a fire.

View on HN

Malaysia like all predominantly Muslim countries have some incredibly barbaric and backward laws such as death penalty for being gay, using drugs, or insulting those in power. The mere accusation of sodomy[1] is enough in all of these places to spend life in prison, a labor camp or worse.

> The article could have explored that regions' strictness more

quick googling or Wikipedia has you covered[2].

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anwar_Ibrahim_sodomy_trials

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_in_Malaysia

See also; the sons-of-the-soil racial benefits: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumiputera_(Malaysia)#Contenti...

I'll take a try at this. The answer is some combination of:

1. Traditional Asian values 2. Legacy of British colonial law. Punishment by hanging and caning were introduced by the British 3. Southeast Asia was a drug trafficking hotspot in the 70s. IIRC at least some of the harsh drug penalties are from recent times as a reaction to that

This is a much more accurate answer than “Islam”.

Just like US drug laws aren’t driven by one thing but rather a combination of moral fears, racism, fear of crime, intent to protect people from themselves, etc.

Islam as a contributing factor is a signficant ommision from the list you are replying to, mind.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undang-Undang_Melaka

Let's not forget Big Paper and Big Plastic, both of whom are threatened by a thriving hemp industry.

The claim of industrial hemp being held down, is something one mainly hears from Americans unaware that there is an entire world outside their borders. In many other countries, though cannabis as a drug might be restricted, hemp for industrial use was never banned. Yet modern industry has shown little interest in use of hemp because, indeed, paper and plastic in their current forms are regarded as superior.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com