JakartaPost/Antara-Sept 2, 2025
Calm is slowly returning to Jakarta under heightened security after a week of protests over lawmakers’ conduct and generous allowance, which escalated following the tragic killing of a young man by an armored police vehicle during a crowd dispersal last Thursday. Monday saw relatively subdued tensions around the Senayan legislative complex in Central Jakarta, compared with previous days when demonstrators clashed with authorities, leaving at least 468 people injured, including 97 who required hospitalization. Additionally, over 1,200 people were arrested in Jakarta during protests between August 25 and 31. Over the weekend, several private properties belonging to lawmakers and government officials were ransacked, and public facilities, including the regional legislative (DPRD) building in Makassar, South Sulawesi, were set ablaze, resulting in three deaths. President Prabowo Subianto subsequently ordered the military and police to take stern action against “rioters and looters” on Sunday, prompting increased patrols in critical areas of the capital. Several groups that had initially planned protests in Jakarta on Monday postponed their actions, including the Populist National Association of University Student Executive Bodies (BEM SI Kerakyatan), part of the Indonesian University Students Alliance (AMI). The Indonesian Women Alliance also postponed their Monday demonstration in front of the legislative complex, citing concerns over heightening security. “This is to prevent an escalation of violence by authorities and to prevent the action from being exploited by irresponsible parties,” the group said in a Sunday statement, referring to rioters and looters. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2025/09/02/jakarta-regains-calm-under-heavy-security.html.
