Ban dog meat, Indonesia urged

Heartbreaking: A file picture of dogs captured for meat, released by Dog Meat Free Indonesia, at a market in Air Madidi, North Sulawesi. (Right) Diaz is one of the many stars who slammed the controversial practice of eating dog meat. — AP

JAKARTA: International stars of acting, music and sports have urged Indonesia’s president to ban what they say is a brutal trade in dog and cat meat for human consumption.

The appeal comes after Indonesian campaigners against animal cruelty and Humane Society International in January exposed markets on the island of Sulawesi where dogs were bludgeoned by the thousands and blow-torched alive to remove their hair before onlookers including children.