While homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia, the topic remains a controversial subject. "We ask for your understanding because at the moment we are working on this issue to remove the stickers." "LINE regrets the incidents of some stickers which are considered sensitive by many people," the messaging app said in a statement. LINE Indonesia has already removed its gay emojis from online stores and issued an apology. Mr Cawidu said the ministry had contacted all companies that used such content, including Twitter and Facebook, and failure to comply with the request to remove the emojis could lead to the apps being banned in Indonesia. "Those things might be considered normal in some Western countries, while in Indonesia it's practically impossible," he said. He said of particular concern was that the colourful emojis and stickers could appeal to children.
"Such contents are not allowed in Indonesia based on our cultural law and the religious norms and the operators must respect that," Mr Ismail Cawidu, spokesman for the Communication and Information Ministry, told AFP today (Feb 12). The emojis - which are available on the popular apps LINE and Whatsapp as well as Facebook and Twitter - depict same-sex couples holding hands and the rainbow flag, commonly used to symbolise the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. JAKARTA - In the latest crackdown on gay rights in Indonesia, the government has demanded all instant messaging apps remove same-sex emoticons or face a ban in the Muslim-majority country.