Indonesian soldier gets seven months' jail for gay sex

JAKARTA — An Indonesian soldier has been given a seven-month jail term for having gay sex, which is banned by the Southeast Asian nation's military as "deviant sexual behaviour".

The 29-year-old recruit based in Kalimantan — Indonesia's section of Borneo island — was also booted from the army, according to a military court ruling dated July 15.

The decision was made public this week.

"The defendant was warned by superiors about the ban on LGBT behaviour in the military but... he still insisted on doing it," the 71-page ruling said.

"(Gay sex) is deviant sexual behaviour... and the defendant has tainted the image of the (military) by doing so."

The lengthy decision went into explicit detail about the soldier's romantic liaisons with another soldier, who was listed as a witness in the case.

In July, a member of Indonesia's navy got a five-month jail term for having sex with a male serviceman.

Last year, Amnesty International said at least 15 members of Indonesia's military or police had been sacked for having same-sex relations in recent years.

While gay sex is barred in the military, it is legal for civilians in the world's biggest Muslim majority nation bar one province.

But there is widespread discrimination and some gay Indonesians have been arrested for lewd conduct under its anti-pornography law.

Same-sex relations are banned, however, in conservative Aceh province where it can result in a public flogging under local Islamic law. AFP