Call to ban meat trade

INTERNATIONAL stars of acting, music and sports have urged Indonesia to ban trade in dog and cat meat for human consumption.

The appeal comes after the exposure in January of markets on the island of Sulawesi where dogs were bludgeoned and blow-torched alive to remove their hair.

The letter to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, released yesterday, says if Indonesia joins other Asian nations that have already banned the cruel trade, it will be “celebrated globally” and end a stain on the country’s reputation.