Minister praises decision to suspend woman's caning

A Malaysian Cabinet minister praised an Islamic court for indefinitely suspending the caning of a woman found guilty of drinking beer and said the sentence made the country appear cruel.

The chief judge of Pahang state’s Shariah court decided Monday to defer the caning of 32-year-old Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno pending a review, as it was deemed too extreme, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said.