Alarm bells in Indonesia over rising army role

Greater military influence in government, reporters under threat and a stuttering economy -- Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's first six months in power have triggered alarm bells for activists worried about a return to the country's authoritarian roots.

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Last month, Indonesia's parliament amended a law allowing active-duty military personnel to work in 14 state institutions -- up from IO -- including the attorney general's office, which rights groups say could weaken legal checks on military abuse.

The decision has critics anxious that the world's third-largest democracy could hark back to the days of dictator Suharto, who ruled Indonesia with an iron fist for more than three decades.