ALBAWABA- Indonesian authorities tightened security across major cities on Sunday after days of anti-government protests over economic hardship turned violent, leaving at least six people dead and prompting President Prabowo Subianto to cancel official engagements.
The demonstrations began peacefully last Monday, driven by anger over low wages, rising living costs, and financial perks granted to government officials.
The movement escalated after a video showing a police vehicle plowing into a motorcycle taxi driver during a Jakarta protest went viral, fueling outrage and spreading unrest across the archipelago.
Protests have since engulfed major urban centers, including Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya, and Medan. More demonstrations were expected Monday, with police checkpoints set up in the capital and armored vehicles deployed outside parliament in a show of force. Authorities said patrols were aimed at “protecting citizens and maintaining security.”
The violence has already claimed multiple lives. In Makassar, a council building was torched Friday, killing three people, while another man was beaten to death by a mob that suspected him of being an intelligence agent.
Yogyakarta’s Amicom University confirmed the death of student Reza Sindi Pratama during the protests, though the circumstances remain unclear.
Amid mounting chaos, President Subianto scrapped a planned trip to China for a World War II commemoration, while Defense Minister Sajafri Shamsuddin warned that the army and police would take “firm action” against “rioters and looters” after the finance minister’s residence was attacked.
What began as a student- and worker-led movement demanding higher wages, lower taxes, and fairer economic policies has spiraled into one of the most serious waves of unrest in Indonesia in recent years. Witnesses accused security forces of using excessive force, including firing rubber bullets at close range and beating protesters, while videos circulating online showed police vehicles driving into crowds.
