Asia
Indonesia Fast-Tracks Military Changes Despite Public Backlash
More than 190 civil society organizations signed a petition Monday condemning the bill as an attempt to legitimize military expansion into civilian governance.
Photographer: Juni Kriswanto/AFP/Getty Images
This article is for subscribers only.
Indonesian lawmakers are moving swiftly to pass a controversial bill that will expand the role of the military, even as public criticism mounts that the changes are reminiscent of the Southeast Asian nation’s authoritarian past.
A parliamentary defense commission and government officials including several cabinet ministers agreed Tuesday to send revisions of the country’s two-decades-old military law to a plenary session later this week for final approval.