Hong Kong, China — The Indonesian constitution guarantees its citizens the right to freedom of religion and belief. Despite legal and constitutional provisions, on June 9, Indonesia’s religious affairs minister, Muhammad Maftuh Basyuni, Home Minister Mardiyanto, and Attorney General Hendarman Supanji issued a decree tightening restrictions on the minority Ahmadiyah community. Violations of the decree are subject to up to five years of imprisonment.

Hong Kong, China — The National Police of Indonesia has reshuffled 40 officers in a move to “regenerate” the police force. One cannot but feel inquisitive about this, as it is the fourth reshuffle in four months. What the police really need is reform, not reshuffling.

Hong Kong, China — Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is under pressure to make a very painful decision that is going to cost him dearly. Some Muslim hard-liners have demanded that the president disband the controversial Ahmadiyah sect. The president under no circumstances should fall into this trap.

Hong Kong, China — Rangga, a 4-month-old boy weighing only 1.4 kilograms, was diagnosed as suffering from malnutrition by the local doctor in the West Java town of Kedaton, Indonesia, and was referred to a hospital for further treatment. The request was rejected by the hospital, however, and the child was taken home.

Hong Kong, China — Many Indonesians felt a sense of relief in learning that senior prosecutor Urip Tri Gunawan was arrested March 2 and charged by the Corruption Eradication Commission for allegedly accepting a bribe. This is an important breakthrough, but the momentum must be maintained to overcome a culture of corruption.

Hong Kong, China — It may seem a simple matter of coincidence that the week Indonesian ex-president Soeharto was buried with state honors, the killers of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, were given prison sentences by the state legal apparatus.

Hong Kong, China — Some 1,000 people attacked the peaceful Ahmadi organization in West Java last December, leaving three people severely injured and two mosques heavily damaged. The attack was apparently inspired by an edict of the Indonesian Council of Muslim Scholars, declaring the Ahmadi a deviant sect.

Hong Kong, China — Just a few days prior to the New Year, Indonesia's National Commission for Child Protection published its annual report on child protection. Surprisingly, the capital of Jakarta was found to be the most unsafe city for children in the country.

Hong Kong, China — After concluding a two-week visit inspecting Indonesia's correctional facilities, Manfred Nowak, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture, expressed "extreme concern" over the juvenile judicial system. The age of criminal responsibility is set at eight years of age.

Hong Kong, China — Healthcare is a basic universal right to which everyone should be entitled regardless of their wealth, creed or age. Yet there is a clear distinction in Indonesia about who has access to healthcare, a distinction based on wealth.

Hong Kong, China — A large proportion of the Indonesian population lives a perilous existence at the edges of society, both literally and metaphorically. Literally, they live along the edges of rivers, like the Ciliwung River in Jakarta, as the land in the heart of the city

Hong Kong, China — Jasih, a 30-year-old mother, set her two sons on fire while they were sleeping and then killed herself in the same way. Neighbors found her dead body hugging her 4-year-old boy.Her husband, Mahfud, explained that their life had come to the end of its te

Hong Kong, China — After 20 years of work, a draft of Indonesia's revised penal code was to be submitted in August to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who in turn would present it to Parliament for debate. Not surprisingly, this sequence of events did not occur.

Hong Kong, China — It is impossible to comprehend from the outside what it means for a family to live through the loss of one of its members -- be it a father, son, mother or daughter -- as the result of incomprehensible, brutal actions by the state. When a family member is

Hong Kong, China — Who is the most important protector in a country for any citizen? Who saves the public from anarchy?

Hong Kong, China — Is torture a rare, unrepresentative phenomenon that affects only some immoral criminals, or is it serious, extensive and frequent enough to affect people's attitudes toward the state and their understanding of society? Torture will always be portrayed b

Hong Kong, China — If recent developments are any indication, there are ominous signs that the nascent democracy of Indonesia is under attack. On May 13, the regional office of the National Liberation Party of Unity, or Papernas, in the Central Sulawesi provincial capital o

Hong Kong, China — The case of torture victim Roni Ronaldo, on which an Indonesian court passed judgment on May 14, is unique for two reasons. It is one of the few cases of police torture to have reached the Indonesian courts, and it also reveals the country's legal and jud

Hong Kong, China — A series of dramatic changes in Indonesia have rekindled the flame of hope in the hearts of victims and their relatives who have been clamoring for justice for years. One such change is the replacement of the attorney general -- a major victory for people

Hong Kong, China — There is a sense of relief in Indonesia that some progress is being made by the police regarding the murder of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib. Two former officials of Garuda Airlines have been arrested on charges of falsifying documents that appa

Hong Kong, China — Relatives of the victims of shootings in Trisakti and Semanggi in 1998 and 1999 respectively had their hopes shattered a few weeks ago when the Advisory Council of the Indonesian House of Representatives rejected a call to have the cases heard in the cham