Singapore

Nineteen Found Guilty of Trafficking Babies in Indonesia and Singapore

Should Indonesia push for harsher sentencing laws or should authorities prioritize the welfare of already-placed children?

Published JUL 21

Nineteen Found Guilty of Trafficking Babies in Indonesia and Singapore

Story

Above: An Indonesian military officer escorts defendants to a trial in a baby trafficking case at the Bandung District Court in Bandung, West Java, on July 21. Image credit: Timur Matahari/AFP/Getty Images

The Facts

An Indonesian court on July 21 convicted all 19 members of a baby trafficking syndicate, handing down sentences ranging from three years and four months to seven years in prison for trafficking at least 34 babies between 2023 and 2025.
The Jakarta Post
The Star
Ringleader Lie Siu Luan, 70, received the harshest sentence of seven years — below the 10 years prosecutors sought — after being found guilty of recruiting members, preparing forged adoption documents and arranging for infants to be sent overseas.
Channelnewsasia
The Straits Times
Prosecutors said at least 12 of the trafficked infants were sent to Singapore, with each baby sold for between 200 million and 250 million rupiah ($11,163-$13,953). Infants rejected by prospective clients in Singapore were sold domestically, including to adoptive parents in Jakarta.
Independent
Free Malaysia Today
The case surfaced in July 2025 after a West Java resident reported a baby kidnapping to police, leading investigators to a suspect who admitted to trading more than two dozen infants, some as young as three months old.
Al Jazeera
Barrons
Eight babies rescued during the arrests were ordered by the court to be placed in the care of the West Java social services agency. The fate of babies already placed with adoptive families in Singapore remains unresolved, with police continuing to investigate.
Daily Mirror
Channelnewsasia
Singapore police said on Saturday that they had not received any local reports of babies being trafficked into the country and had contacted Indonesian authorities to seek relevant information. One Singaporean adoptive parent said the family had endured "almost a year of fear and anxiety of waiting" over their son's future.
BBC News
The Straits Times

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

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PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

A 70-year-old woman ran a baby trafficking syndicate that sold at least 34 infants across Indonesia and Singapore, and a seven-year sentence is nowhere near enough justice for that. The syndicate forged adoption documents, moved babies through Borneo and into Singapore, and profited off desperate families — this was organized, calculated exploitation. Indonesia must push for harsher sentencing laws to match the severity of crimes like these.

The Jakarta Post

The Star

Al Jazeera English on X

Narrative B

The convictions are done, but the real crisis is what happens to the babies already placed with adoptive families in Singapore who had no idea they were part of a trafficking scheme. Singaporean adoptive parents are victims too, and tearing children from stable, loving homes in the name of legal process could cause irreparable harm. Authorities need to prioritize each child's best interests over bureaucratic outcomes.