Businesses cut ties with Brunei over gay sex laws

‘It is clear that this is an issue of great public sensitivity and controversy’

By Helena Horton and Latoya Harding

BRITISH businesses have joined other organisations across the globe in cutting ties with Brunei after the country’s leader announced that gay sex would be punished with the death penalty.

Homosexuality was already illegal in the Muslim country but it is now a capital offence, punishable by stoning under Sharia laws.

The nine hotels of the Dorchester Collection, which belong to Brunei’s state-owned Brunei Investment Agency, have become a target for protest.

The Financial Times has cancelled an event it was due to hold at the Dorchester in protest against the law. Celebrities including Elton John, George Clooney and Ellen Degeneres have backed a boycott of the chain, which also includes the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Hotel Bel-air.

Deutsche Bank has banned its staff from staying in any Dorchester hotels.

The Dorchester Collection said its values were “far removed from the politics of ownership”.

The hotel chain said: “We understand people’s anger and frustration but this is a political and religious issue that we don’t believe should be played out in our hotels and amongst our 3,630 employees.”

Transport for London has removed adverts promoting Brunei as a tourism destination from the city’s public transport network.

It said: “It is clear that this is an issue of great public sensitivity and controversy so the advert will be removed from our network.”

Further afield, STA Travel, a travel agency owned by Swiss conglomerate Diethelm Keller Group, said it would no longer sell flights on Brunei’s national carrier, Royal Brunei Airlines.