JAKARTA, Sept 1 — Indonesian authorities ramped up security today after six people were killed in unrest over economic hardship that escalated into violent anger against the nation’s police force.
The deadly protests, which began last week over financial perks for lawmakers, have forced President Prabowo Subianto to make a U-turn over the measures.
Demonstrations had began peacefully, but turned violent against the nation’s elite paramilitary police unit after footage showed one of its teams running over 21-year-old delivery driver Affan Kurniawan late Thursday.
Protests have since spread from capital Jakarta to other major cities, including Yogyakarta, Bandung, Semarang and Surabaya in Java, and Medan in North Sumatra province, in the worst unrest since Prabowo took power.
More gatherings of students and protesters were planned in several locations around Indonesia’s vast archipelago today.
Police set up checkpoints across capital Jakarta today, and a police spokesman told broadcaster Kompas TV that officers were also patrolling the city to “protect” citizens and give a sense of security.
Police had deployed a convoy of armoured cars and motorbikes to parliament late yesterday, in a show of force as they attempt to warn off protesters.
The crisis has forced Prabowo to cancel a planned trip to China this week for a military parade commemorating the end of World War II.
His close ally Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin warned yesterday that military and police would take “firm action” against “rioters and looters”, after the finance minister’s house was pillaged.
At least three people were killed after a fire Friday started by protesters at a council building in the eastern city of Makassar.
Another victim died in Makassar on Friday after he was beaten by a mob on suspicion that he was an intelligence officer, local disaster agency official Muhammad Fadli Tahar told AFP yesterday.
In Yogyakarta the Amikom Yogyakarta University confirmed the death of its student Rheza Sendy Pratama in protests, but the circumstances around his death remain unclear.
In anticipation of further unrest, TikTok on Saturday temporarily suspended its live feature for “a few days” in Indonesia, where it has more than 100 million users. — AFP
