Indonesia deployed thousands of security personnel around parliament and other major cities on Thursday as students returned to the streets, one year after nationwide anti-government protests left 10 people dead.
Demonstrations were held in Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Makassar to commemorate last year’s unrest and protest against President Prabowo Subianto’s policies, corruption and what students describe as the growing militarisation of civilian life.
Around 18,000 police personnel were deployed near the parliamentary complex in Jakarta, according to local media, while police buses and military trucks were seen across major roads.
Jakarta police said 65 people had been arrested on suspicion of attempting to exploit the demonstrations to create unrest. Authorities said they seized airsoft guns, materials for making Molotov cocktails and communication devices, although it was unclear whether those arrested were directly involved in the protests.
Around 200 students gathered outside parliament in Jakarta, calling for an end to Prabowo’s flagship free meals programme, lower staple food prices and a halt to the expansion of the military’s role in civilian affairs.
The free meals scheme has faced criticism following governance problems, mass food poisoning incidents and legal challenges.
“We chose 27 August to commemorate because last year there were riots and various other incidents,” student representative Kahirul Ammar told Reuters. “Today we want to convey our aspirations, not cause riots.”
Some demonstrators damaged fencing around parliament while attempting to climb over it, while others burned tyres.
The protests come as Prabowo faces declining public support. His approval rating fell to 38 per cent in August, according to a poll by Indonesian investigative media outlet Tempo.
Thursday’s demonstrations mark a year since thousands of students and civilians took part in nationwide protests over government spending priorities. Ten people were killed during the unrest, nearly 7,000 were arrested and hundreds were sentenced.
A separate group from Central Java also demonstrated outside parliament on Thursday, demanding legislation allowing authorities to seize assets linked to corruption and money laundering.
Lawmakers met representatives of the group and pledged to resign if the legislation was not passed by 15 December, according to protest organisers.
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday...
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are m...
Ed Sheeran has broken his silence on the controversy surrounding his U.S. tour, apologising for decisions made after rapper Macklemore was removed ...
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said a Togo-flagged oil tanker was struck while attempting to make an “illegal passage” through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media said early on Friday.
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
The European Union will disburse €3.3 billion ($3.8 billion) to Ukraine for missiles and drones, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
Ed Sheeran has broken his silence on the controversy surrounding his U.S. tour, apologising for decisions made after rapper Macklemore was removed from the line-up over his public support for Palestine.
French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting the tiny French territory of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, off the coast of Canada, where he is due to meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday (20 September).
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday. A mother and her two 3-year-old children were killed when a Russian drone strike hit a private home, the emergency service said.
A small container of lunar soil travelled more than 380,000 kilometres from the far side of the Moon to Earth two years ago. It recently made one more journey - from Beijing to Vienna, where China officially handed it over to the United Nations.
Russian authorities have reported attacks on voting systems and communication lines as the country’s parliamentary election entered its second day on Saturday (19 September).
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment