Five couples publicly whipped in Indonesia

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia: A group of unmarried couples were whipped in Indonesia's Aceh province on Thursday after they were caught behaving amorously.

The five couples flogged Thursday received between four and 22 strokes from a rattan cane outside a mosque in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, after they served several months in prison. Religious police caught the amorous couples cuddling and holding hands or, in some cases, having sex. Flogging is common for a range of offences in the region at the tip of Sumatra island, including gambling, drinking alcohol and having gay sex.

Hundreds of spectators, including children, watched as a masked officer lashed the offenders as they winced in pain. "We hope in the future there will be no more cases like this -- it's embarrassing," said religious officer Safriadi.