Indonesia tightens security after deadly protests with checkpoints and patrols in Jakarta

A demonstrator holds a flare during a protest, following the death of a motorcycle taxi driver who was run over by a police vehicle on August 28, in front of the Regional Police headquarters in Surabaya on August 30. Indonesia was rocked by protests in major cities including the capital Jakarta. Photo / Juni Kriswanto, AFP

Indonesian authorities ramped up security today after six people were killed in unrest over lavish perks for lawmakers that escalated into violent anger against the nation’s police force.

The deadly protests, which began last week over MP housing allowances nearly 10 times the minimum wage in the capital Jakarta, have forced President Prabowo Subianto to make a U-turn over the measures.

Demonstrations 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 on Thursday local time.

Protests have since spread from Jakarta to other major cities, in the worst unrest since Prabowo took power, with more rallies planned for today across Indonesia’s vast archipelago.

Police set up checkpoints across the capital today, while officers and the military conducted city-wide patrols and deployed snipers in key locations.

Demonstrators were expected to start gathering outside parliament in Jakarta and at the national police headquarters.

The capital’s police force paraded a convoy of armoured cars and motorbikes outside parliament yesterday, in a show of force as they attempt to warn off protesters.

Schools and universities in Jakarta were holding classes online until at least tomorrow and civil servants based in Jakarta were asked to work from home.

Minister’s house looted

The crisis prompted Prabowo to cancel a trip to China this week for a military parade commemorating the end of World War II.

The protests are the biggest and most violent of his presidency, a key test less than a year into his rule.

Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin warned that the security forces would take “firm action” against “rioters and looters”, after the Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati’s house was pillaged.

Several lawmakers have reportedly had their houses ransacked in recent days.

As well as Jakarta, there have also been protests in cities including Yogyakarta, Bandung, Semarang and Surabaya in Java, and Medan in North Sumatra province.

At least three people were killed after a fire on Friday local time started by protesters at a council building in the eastern city of Makassar.

Another victim died in Makassar after he was beaten by a mob on suspicion that he was an intelligence officer, local disaster agency official Muhammad Fadli Tahar told AFP.

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 at the weekend suspended its live feature for “a few days” in Indonesia, where it has more than 100 million users.

Indonesia cut financial perks for lawmakers on Sunday.

“The parliament leadership conveyed that they would revoke several policies, including the amount of allowance for lawmakers, and a moratorium on overseas visits,” Prabowo said, without specifying which allowance he was referring to.

The ex-general said protests should take place peacefully and if people destroyed public facilities or looted private homes “the state must step in to protect its citizens”.

“The rights to peaceful assembly should be respected and protected. But we cannot deny that there are signs of actions outside the law, even against the law, even leaning towards treason and terrorism,” Prabowo said in a speech in Jakarta.

-Agence France-Presse