Indonesian students to stage Parliament protest, await meeting with government
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Protests over state spending erupted across the country after a police vehicle hit and killed a ride-share driver.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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JAKARTA - Indonesian students will stage protests at the Parliament building in the capital Jakarta on Sept 4, a student group said, as a proposed meeting with the government on massive demonstrations that have left 10 people dead was yet to materialise.
Led by students, workers and rights groups, last week’s protests against police violence and state spending priorities spread across the world’s third-largest democracy after a police vehicle hit and killed a motorcycle ride-share driver.
The demonstrations have, at times, turned violent. Rights groups said 10 people have died and more than 1,000 injured in incidents of looting and rioting. Rights groups have condemned the use of force by security forces.
The coalition of student bodies, known locally as BEM SI, said ahead of the Sept 4 protest: “The people’s anxiety isn’t due to protests on the street, but it’s due to corruption and the politicisation of the law.”
Ten student unions met parliamentarians on Sept 3 and called for an independent investigation into police violence, while drawing a contrast between generous benefits for lawmakers and the economic hardship faced by most Indonesians.
The Deputy House Speaker offered them a chance to meet the government on Sept 4, but BEM SI leader Muzammil Ihsan said there was no follow-up on the invitation.
The protests have been called for by several Indonesian student bodies with varying, and at times unaligned, interests.
Workers with the union Gebrak will also stage a demonstration in Jakarta on the same day against the heavy-handed security response, and to demand the release of those detained.
The Indonesian authorities have detained more than 3,000 people in a nationwide crackdown, New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch said on Sept 4.
“The Indonesian authorities should not respond to protests against government policies by using excessive force and wrongfully locking up demonstrators,” said Ms Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director of the group.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said the military and police would stand firm against violent mobs, and that some of the unrest bore signs of terrorism and treason. REUTERS
