yikes - Fiji imprisons Aussie tourist for having gay sex

**Chilihost** · 04-06-2005, 09:23 PM

From the associated press:

(Suva) A retired Australian university lecturer was sentenced to two years in prison for having gay sex with a local man in Fiji where such acts are outlawed, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

Thomas Maxwell McCoskar, 55, from Victoria state, told magistrate Syed Muhktar Shah he did not know it was illegal in Fiji to engage in sex with Dhirendra Nadan, 23, according to the report in The Fiji Times.

Both were jailed Tuesday for two years after admitting charges of "committing an unnatural offence" and "indecent behavior".

They faced a maximum 14-year sentence after admitting to engaging in sex and taking photographs of themselves naked between March 24 and April 3. McCoskar said he had just retired and had traveled to Fiji for ``some fun.''

The magistrate described their behavior as ``something so disgusting that it would make any decent person vomit.''

He told McCoskar: ``If you wanted to have fun you should have stayed in Australia instead of trying to come to Fiji and exploit our young boys.''

While Fiji's laws prescribe up to 14 years imprisonment for homosexual activity, prosecutions are now rare. Police turn a blind eye to widespread solicitation by male prostitutes in the capital, Suva, and at the international airport in Nadi.

Advocates for Fiji's LGBT community are pressing the government to abolish anti-gay laws, but are fiercely opposed by the powerful and deeply conservative Methodist Church of Fiji.

In a statement, Australia's Foreign Ministry said it had sent consular officials to visit McCoskar in prison.

That is very scary!!! If you are travelling, make sure you research local laws to ensure you are not caught in the same predicament.

cheers,
Luke

**Squirt** · 04-07-2005, 12:28 AM

You are right about checking out local laws before traveling.

If you go to the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) site you can research regional laws regarding homosexuality before you travel on this part of their site

Interestingly enough the judge that sentenced the men was probably from India, not an indigenous Fijian. The indigenous Fijians are great people (decendants of New Zelanders & Hawaiians) but have had a lot of civil unrest in recent years because they are being taken over by Indians. When Fiji was a British colony Indians migrated there and have since tried taking over the Fijian government and way of life, imposing their own moral views on the indigenous Fijian people.

Last time I was there with my son there was a government coupe and the Fijians physically took over government and through out the Indian officials. Indians now outnumber indigenous Fijians. Now when the land lease is up on Indian farmers land, the Fijians are forcibly removing them, even farmers that have been there for generations. You can read more about it here. You can find out more about homosexual laws in India, and their punishments, here.

In India homosexual sex is against the law and punishable by community service or time in prison. As a matter of fact a Gay man in India was just the victim of an "honor" killing, and was beheaded, by a man who felt guilty for being "tricked" into unatural sex with him ( story here ). Local sodomy laws are strictly enforced. In the last few hundred years India has become more conservative regarding the third sex (tritiya-prakriti) aka homosexuals (more info here). If you feel you are Gay then you become part of the Eunuch class, are castrated, and have to dress, and live life as a woman in the role of a Hijra ( member of the third sex ). Most live as beggars and are seen as a magical being that has to be paid to take curses off people. They are also good for dancing at weddings and blessing the couple with a fruitful marriage.

It's strange they would sentence anyone because the airport in Suva city is littered with male prostitutes, as is the city. It's never been a problem before. Maybe it has something to do with the Fijian and Australian trade embargo talks going on right now. Something to give them leverage or to show the Aussies they have some power of Australians? Who knows