European legislators warned Monday that Islamic-based laws limiting the rights of women in some part of Indonesia could scare off investors and damage international relations.Indonesia is a secular, democratic state. In recent years, so-called bylaws have been adopted in one province and some districts implementing conservative views. Some fear the change could pressure the central government to follow.German lawmaker Hartmut Nassauer, speaking at the end of a five-day visit by European politicians to southeast Asia, said that while Indonesia is a democracy, the passing of Shariah, or Islamic law, "could burden international relationships. ""If a state introduces religious laws it automatically separates itself from other states where we are free to practice faith, but not obliged to," he said, speaking on behalf of a group of nine lawmakers."Such a development has an impact on relationships with other countries," he said, referring to European economic interests in Indonesia.Around 90 percent of Indonesia's 220 million residents are Muslim, the vast majority of them moderate.Around two-thirds of the population disagrees with harsh Islamic laws that punish women for not covering their heads or allow for convicted thieves to have their hands amputated, a recent opinion poll showed.In the strictly devout Aceh province, where the Shariah police enforce laws governing religious morality, a woman can be punished for not wearing a head scarf in public or going out after an evening curfew.A bill was recently submitted to parliament to make non-Muslims comply with Shariah law in Aceh, raising alarm among the nation's minority Christians, Buddhists and Hindus.The nine lawmakers said in a statement they were also concerned about corruption in the judiciary and suggested Jakarta follow the example of other Southeast Asian countries that have already or are considering abolishing the death penalty.
Billionaires Among Thousands of Indonesians Found in Secret Offshore Documents By Nicky Hager April 9, 2013, 8:15 pm Nine of Indonesia’s 11 richest families have found shelter in tropical tax havens, holding ownership of more than 190 offshore trusts and companies, secret records obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists show. The nine families, worth an estimated $36 billion among them, are at the top of a wealthy class that dominates Indonesia’s politics and economy. Six were closely tied to the late dictator Suharto, who helped a special circle of Indonesians grow rich during his 31-year rule by granting economic fiefdoms to family and friends. The billionaires are among nearly 2,500 Indonesians found in the files of Singapore-headquart ered offshore services provider Portcullis TrustNet, which ICIJ has been analyzing and began reporting on last week. Although there is no evidence in the files of illegality by any of the ni...
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