Sharia police officers, locally known as Wilayatul Hisbah, raided a number of warnet (internet cafes) in North Aceh in the wee hours of Friday morning in an effort to prevent online gambling.

It was reported by kompas.com that officers raided warnet in Keude Lhoksukon of North Aceh after being tipped off that online gambling sites and porn sites had been accessed.

"This raid is the implementation of Qanun [Aceh's Islamic bylaws]. We heard that online gambling was happening in the warnet," Mursalin, the commander of the North Aceh Wilayatul Hisbah said as quoted by newsportal kompas.com.

However, Mursalin and his crew did not find such practices when they raided the warnet.

"When we came, there was no one accessing online gambling [sites]," he said.

Mursalin then reminded all warnet visitors not to access porn and gambling sites. The sharia police also urged students staying in the warnet until after midnight to go home.

"We hope as we intensify the raids, we minimize the negative impacts of the internet. But most important is parents' supervising of their children," he said.

Sharia police are employed by the Wilayatul Hisbah office whose duty it is to implement Aceh's sharia bylaw called Qanun Jinayat.

Last month, the Aceh provincial administration implemented a tougher version of Qanun Jinayat with harsher punishments for activities such as gambling, alcohol consumption, adultery, dating in public and homosexual intimacy, and also for crimes including rape and sexual harassment. (rin)

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