COMPARED to several years ago, Hamid (not his real name) is now a changed man. Back then he was a courier whose job was to connect the leaders of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) underground network. He now studies economy at a college. “The police help me with the tuition fee,” he said honestly.

This diminutive man has been undergoing a de-radicalization program from the Special Anti-Terrorism Detachment 88—a special counterterrorism force of t