Following the introduction of a controversial Islamic penal code in Brunei, US television star Jay Leno joined a growing list of celebrities vowing to boycott a luxury hotel chain linked to Brunei's sultan. Brunei's all-powerful Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah announced last Wednesday that he would push ahead with the sharia law that will eventually include tough penalties such as death by stoning.
Former late-night talk show host Leno, speaking at a small protest outside the sultan-owned Beverly Hills Hotel, said: "What is this, Berlin, 1933? This doesn't seem far off what happened in the Holocaust.
"Come on people, it's 2014. Evil flourishes when good people do nothing."
Virgin group founder Richard Branson said on the weekend that Virgin employees would not stay at the exclusive Dorchester Collection hotel chain, which includes The Dorchester in London and the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles.
"No @virgin employee, nor our family, will stay at Dorchester Hotels until the Sultan abides by basic human rights," the British billionaire posted on Twitter.
Others who have called for a boycott include actor Stephen Fry, TV host Sharon Osbourne and comedian Ellen DeGeneres.
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The Dorchester Collection is reportedly owned by the Brunei Investment Agency, a sovereign wealth fund under the oil-rich sultanate's Ministry of Finance.
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But the sultan has defended the implementation of the law, meant to shore up Islam and guard the Southeast Asian country against outside influences.
Brunei government officials could not immediately be reached for comment on Monday. The Dorchester Collection also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Source-AFP