World Scene: Indonesia

Trousers, shorts banned

Muslim women in Indonesia's West Aceh district will be banned from wearing "tight" trousers or jeans under new regulations, an official said yesterday.

From the start of next year any woman wearing trousers or jeans deemed to be too tight will have to immediately change into a government-issue skirt and their offending garment will be chopped into pieces. "This rule applies not only to women but also to men, who are prohibited from wearing shorts," district chief Ramli Mansur said.