As Veterans Affairs expands automation, it commits more errors on veterans’ claims

On November 5, Indonesia's Social Affairs Ministry declared the adoption of 18 Indonesian children in Singapore as illegal, according to Antara, the country's official national news agency. Child Social Rehabilitation Director Kahono Agung Suhartoyo stated that the adoptions did not adhere to Indonesia's legal procedures and requirements.

Some of the children, who had been part of a baby trafficking syndicate police discovered in West Java the previous year, had subsequently become Singapore citizens. The adoption process for the remaining children is still ongoing.

The police uncovered the trafficking operation in July 2025, finding babies, most between two to three months old, initially kept in Bandung before being transported to Pontianak, West Kalimantan, where they received falsified passports and family IDs. These children ultimately reached Singapore, where adoptive families awaited them.

Indonesia has been approached by Singaporean officials regarding eight children in ongoing cases, with the ministry citing the adoptions' lack of compliance with Indonesian requirements, emphasizing the country's stringent regulations on international adoptions.

To adopt a child in Indonesia, applicants must meet specific criteria: be aged 55 or under, reside in the country for a minimum of two years, and pass physical and psychological health evaluations. The Indonesian government considers the Singapore adoptions as procedurally invalid due to the children's victimization in a trafficking syndicate.

Suhartoyo added that his department is collaborating with authorities through Indonesia's embassy in Singapore to explore solutions, including returning the children to Indonesia. If this occurs, the Social Affairs Ministry is prepared to reunite them with their biological families.

West Java-born children are listed as being born in West Kalimantan on their documents. In January, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Social and Family Development announced awareness of cross-border baby trafficking allegations and their cooperation with Indonesian authorities on the matter. The ministries stressed the severity of child trafficking, highlighting its exploitation of young children, violation of their rights, separation from biological families for personal gain or criminal activities, and detrimental impact on their long-term well-being and development. The statement also acknowledged the concerns of affected adoptive parents in Singapore.