Indonesian authorities denied media reports that 350 members of the al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group are being released from prison, and said in any event there are only about 274 terrorist inmates. Malaysia’s counterterrorism police chief said the releases will take place over the next two years. A human rights group warned that the Nov. 6 shooting attack at the home of reformist politician Pak Amien in Yogyakarta was an attempt at intimidation by terrorists. The Home Ministry has yet to review Aceh bylaws based on sharia law that call for harsh punishments and are applied to Muslims and non-Muslims alike, despite calls for repeal by human rights groups.
