Indonesian Police shaves rockers' hair

Police in Indonesia's most conservative province raided a punk-rock concert and detained 65 fans, shaving off their spiky mohawks and stripping away body piercings because of the perceived threat to Islamic values.

Dog-collar necklaces and chains were also taken from the youths before they were thrown in pools of water for "spiritual" cleansing, Indonesian local police chief Iskandar Hasan said on Wednesday.

After replacing their "disgusting" clothes, he handed each a toothbrush and barked "use it".

The crackdown marked the latest effort by authorities to promote strict moral values in Aceh, the only province in this secular but predominantly Muslim nation of 240 million to have imposed Islamic laws.


Here, adultery is punishable by stoning to death. Homosexuals have been thrown in jail or lashed in public with rattan canes. Women are forced to wear headscarves and told, please, no tight pants.


It's not clear why police decided to hone in on punks.