BANDA ACEH , Indonesia, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A young couple was publicly caned in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, for indecency after they were seen in public together, a police chief said.
University students Wahyudi Saptutra, 23, and Nur Elita, 20, were arrested two months ago for violating the Sharia law of khalwat, or "affectionate contact by an unmarried couple" after being observed alone in a room. A judge sentenced them to caning, police chief Yusnardi, of a unit assigned to finding violators of the strict Sharia law, told Indonesia's Ansara news agency.