Written question asked by Lord Patten (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead (Labour) on Tuesday, 9 February 2010.

Indonesia

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made or intend to make representations to the Government of Indonesia over freedom of speech in that country, and in particular the Law Number 4 of 1963 that permits censorship of books, films, pamphlets and posters.

Answer: We have no plans to make representations on freedom of speech to the Government of Indonesia. Indonesia has a dynamic and relatively free press and remains the only country in South East Asia classed as ““free”” by Freedom House. However, Law Number 4 of 1963 was eroded by the Press Law of 1999, which eliminated its application to newspapers, magazines and serials while leaving untouched its application to other printed materials. However, the bans have had the net result of pushing up demand for the publications, which are widely available locally.

Secondary information