Australian travellers: Read this to stay out of jail overseas.

A group of Australian men in Malaysia are in trouble. They were watching the Formula One when they thought it would be a genius idea to strip down to their budgy smugglers that were printed with the Malaysian flag and have a dance.

The nine men were also drinking “shoeys”, or alcohol out of shoes, and this might have contributed to their thinking it was such a good idea.

The Malaysian authorities are considering charging the men with “intentional insult”. The maximum sentence for this is two years in prison. The minimum sentence is a fine.

As the men are locked in Malaysian jail, waiting for the Deputy Public Prosecutor to decide if charges should be pressed, we thought it might be time for a refresher on the dos and don’t of travelling overseas.

A small reminder that, behaviour that is acceptable or even ‘funny’ here, might be seen as offensive or, worse, criminal, somewhere else.

Here goes:

Drug trafficking in Southeast Asia.

You would have to be crazy. Shapelle Corby. Myuran Sukumaran. Andrew Chan. All Australians who have been caught trafficking drugs into Indonesia.

While every country has tough laws around possession of drugs, nowhere in the world is as swift and harsh in delivering punishment (often death) than in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

In the Philippines, police have permission to shoot on sight if someone even appears to be on drugs. In Singapore, as little as three grams of morphine or 15 grams of cannabis is enough to get you executed. Method of execution? Hanging.

Trespassing in the US.

Door knocking in the southern states of America is not a good idea. In some states laws called Castle Laws permit land owners to injure, shoot and, if necessary, kill trespassers on their land.

Eeeeek.

Killing a cow in India or Nepal.

Now, I’m not sure why you would want to kill a cow in India or Nepal. But if you all of a sudden have that urge, leave the country. Really quickly.

It’s not as cut and dried (so to speak) as other laws. But the cow is meant to be sacred in Hindi religion. While most people are pretty lax with this, and a lot of locals still eat beef, it is a custom that can be enforced by officials looking to crack down.

To be safe, drive carefully. Avoid eating beef. And suppress and slaughtering tendencies.

Always carry identification in Japan.

Police officers have the right to check for ID in the streets in Japan and, if you are a foreigner without your passport on you, you can be arrested and held in jail for 23 days without any contact with the outside world.

This 23 day rule is true for any crime. So be extra careful abiding by regular laws, and ensure you’re always carrying identification.

Respect the king in Thailand

This is a respect like nothing we see in Australia. Even something as simple as dropping a coin with the King’s face on it, or stepping on a bank note, can carry punishment.

If you defame, insult or threaten the Thai king, or any member of Thai royalty, you could potentially cop a prison sentence of three to fifteen years.

Sex and eating in public in the UAE.

Islamic law forbids premarital sex and several tourist have been arrested and sentenced to months in prison for travelling with, and sleeping with, a date while in the United Arab Emirates. The same goes for public affection. Be careful holding hands and kissing in public.

Drinking heavily and in public is not tolerated, and could lead to arrest. As well as this, when you’re visiting an Islamic country during Ramadan – in June and July – you can be jailed for eating in public during daylight hours.