DetailsOn January 25th, 2018, a Chinese tourist admitted that he smoked during the flight from Kuala Lumpur to Tawau in Malaysia. This behavior will be punished with a fine of 6,000 Malaysian Ringgit (about RMB 9,807) or 3 months of imprisonment according to the law of Malaysia.
The case mentioned above is the reflection of Territorial Jurisdiction. It refers to the power of a court over events and persons within the jurisdiction of a particular geographic territory. Territorial jurisdiction is to be distinguished from the nationality Jurisdiction, which is the power of a court to render a judgment concerning persons based on the nationality of the person, wherever they may be. Protective Jurisdiction is the power of a court to render a judgment concerning crimes committed against the interest of the country or their own citizens by foreign citizens outside of their own territory. Universal Jurisdiction is the power of a court to render a judgment concerning some certain crimes which are threatening the peace and security of the whole world.
Territorial jurisdiction is not limited to the territory of a nation. It has been widely acknowledged that the space of a aircraft or a ship is regarded as the extension of a country’s territory, which is normally labeled as “Floating Territory”. As for the case abovementioned, the court of Malaysia hear the case on the basis of Territorial Jurisdiction. So when you are planning to go abroad, you’d better have a brief understanding of the local law in case of violating the law.