Draconian new laws have spread unease rather than outright panic in a population that is used to finding ways around legislation. A day after it became legally possible to be stoned to death for having gay sex in Brunei, 21-year-old Zain* got a bitter taste of the new reality. Walking down the street in skinny jeans and high-heeled boots, a flamboyant anomaly in the conservative sultanate, the university student became a target. “I saw this van about 50 metres away,” said Zain, who is gay.