Jakarta deploys troops against muggers, stirring dark memories

Jakarta residents have largely welcomed a new police-military campaign against violent street crime, after a wave of brazen motorbike muggings struck fear into Indonesia’s capital. But rights advocates warn that deploying soldiers alongside police blurs a line between law enforcement and military power, reviving memories of extrajudicial killings in a country still haunted by its authoritarian past. On May 15, Jakarta police announced the formation of a special, 24-hour joint patrol task forc...

By Resty Woro Yuniar