May 3, 2021
Neo Chai Chin & Lewa Pardomuan
JAKARTA (CNA) – He was tortured, underwent forced labour and had to eat mice, snakes, lizards and snails to survive. Arrested for suspected political views, Bedjo Untung was never charged despite being detained from 1970 to 1979, under the authoritarian regime headed by Suharto, the former general.
It has been 23 years since Suhartoâs fall, but Bedjo, now 73 and a human rights activist, worries that Indonesiaâs military “will always try to play a role” in government.
That has been the case in Thailand, for example, and Februaryâs military coup in Myanmar has cast the spotlight on other Southeast Asian countries whose militaries have played a significant political role over decades.
‘We live in a different age now’: Why Indonesia’s military is unlikely to return to politics Toggle share menu
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‘We live in a different age now’: Why Indonesia’s military is unlikely to return to politics
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‘We live in a different age now’: Why Indonesia’s military is unlikely to return to politics February’s coup in Myanmar has turned the spotlight on other Southeast Asian countries whose militaries have played a significant political role. The programme Insight examines the situation in Indonesia and the prospects for its democracy.
Experts do not believe that Indonesia s military will make a political comeback.
RSIS professors pay tribute to alumnus Heri Oktavian, the commander of sunken Indonesian submarine channelnewsasia.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from channelnewsasia.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Singapore leaders send condolences to Indonesian president over sunken submarine with 53 aboard Toggle share menu
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File photo of KRI Nanggala. (Photo: AP)
26 Apr 2021 09:30PM) Share this content
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SINGAPORE: Singapore s President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong have written to Indonesian President Joko Widodo to express their condolences over the death of 53 crew members on board a sunken submarine.
In a letter released by Singapore s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday (Apr 26), Madam Halimah extended her deepest condolences to the people of Indonesia on behalf of Singaporeans.
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Advertisement I was saddened by the loss of lives of the 53 crewmen that resulted from the sinking of the KRI Nanggala 402 submarine, she said.
The balance in Afghanistan seems weighted more towards opportunity than challenge for China. Beijing might believe it knows how to avoid pitfalls, but history is littered with powers that thought they could control the Eurasian region.