February this year is a special month for the Chinese as they’ve just celebrated the Chinese New Year. Gong Xi Fat Cai! May the New Year bring us new blessings, new happiness and new wealth. It is not only a new year; there are also new things in CAVEAT, starting in this month’s edition. In cooperation with a regional NGO based in Hong Kong, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), we will present updates on the human rights situation in other Asian countries in Rights in Asia. CAVEAT’s other new column, Reportage, highlights the work of LBH Masyarakat and details some of our February activities.

Happy 2010! We would like to wish you a very happy new year and beyond. In the first edition of 2010, CAVEAT brings you three burning issues pertinent to Indonesia. In the main report we present you with an analysis of the scandalous yet predictable phenomenon that occurred early this year. An anti-judicial mafia task force, appointed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, conducted a surprise visit to a detention center in Jakarta and discovered wealthy prisoners living in luxury. While thousands of convicts languish in less than satisfactory conditions in Indonesia, others have been found to enjoy rooms equipped with spa products, LCD televisions, queen-sized beds and fitness equipment. Others have been awarded access to laser treatment for facials, hairdressers, massages and air conditioning. In the wake of the exposure of this scam, Artalyta Suryani — who was convicted of bribing a senior state prosecutor in relation to a corruption case in 2008 and was sentenced to five years of prison and received luxurious treatment inside the prison — has been moved to a regular cell; the warden of the penitentiary in question has been stood down; and audits of prisons are around the country are being conducted — the first month of 2010 bodes well for Indonesia, but can the country's judiciary be relied upon to continue this streak of transparency for the next 12 months?

Dear friends, Please be informed that as of Monday, 11 January 2010, the Community Legal Aid Institute – Indonesia (LBH Masyarakat) is located in a new address: Tebet Timur Dalam III B, No. 10 Jakarta 12820 INDONESIA Phone : +62 21 830 54 50 Facsimile : +62 21 829 80 67 Please note that the telephone line is still the same with the previous one, meanwhile the facsimile line is new. Kindly update your database. Thank you for you attention and cooperation.

In this last edition of CAVEAT for 2009, we present a special report reviewing Indonesia’s rule of law and human rights situation throughout the year. We have chosen to highlight some of the more key issues, ranging from civil and political rights to economic, social and cultural rights. These areas are fundamental issues that Indonesia should address in 2010 in order to improve its situation and that of its people. This year, Indonesia experienced an uncompromising state of affairs on human rights and bore witness to its own failing rule of law. If these conditions further deteriorate, and the government fails to prevent such incidents, Indonesia risks creating a state of anarchy, where the rule of law has collapsed and the enforcement of human rights is absent.

Rose (not her real name) has been using drugs for more than ten years. During that time, she had been arrested a number of times, and her life has been harrowing. Not long ago, she began to feel hope for the first time, when in a breakthrough decision, Indonesia's judges decided to send her to a rehabilitation center to treat her addiction. However, Indonesia's rotten and corrupt judicial system dashed her hopes.