Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto on Sunday cancelled his visit to China for the SCO Summit 2025 as protests continue in the country over lawmakers' pay. This cancellation comes in view of the intesne protests acorss Jakarta, which have killed at least three people and left dozens of buildings and public facilities destroyed.
Social media platform Tiktok also suspended an app tool that had been used for live-broadcast, amid the heightened protests that began in Jakarta this week which also hurt stocks and the rupiah, reported Bloomberg.
Member of the Indonesian parliament and leader of the NasDem party, Ahmad Sahroni's house was looted after he the protester's ‘stupid’ a few days earlier, according to Detik.com, ignoring the president’s earlier call for calm.
Looters also broke into Eko Patrio’s house, a comedian-turned-lawmaker from the National Mandate Party, although Bloomberg could not independently verify the reports of looting.
A TikTok spokesperson on Saturday said it’s “voluntarily” suspending its live function in light of the escalating violence.
Indonesia’s equity benchmark has retreated from a record and was the world’s worst-performing primary index on Friday after it dropped 1.5%.
Also read | 3 dead as Indonesian protesters set fire to regional parliament building, five injured
What led to the protests?
The protests were sparked by a recent pay hike for lawmakers amid discontent over jobs and wages. A marked escalation in the protests took place on Friday after a police armoured vehicle hit and and ran over a motorcycle taxi, killing its driver.
{{/usCountry}}The protests were sparked by a recent pay hike for lawmakers amid discontent over jobs and wages. A marked escalation in the protests took place on Friday after a police armoured vehicle hit and and ran over a motorcycle taxi, killing its driver.
{{/usCountry}}The President visited the home of the driver late on Friday, offering condolences to his parents and vowing to oversee the investigation into his death, read a Reuters report.
Protestors det fire to a regional parliament building on Saturday, that killed three people and injured at least five.
Local media reported isolated looting in Jakarta and damage to several transportation facilities in Jakarta on Friday, as well as demonstrations in the major cities of Bandung and Yogyakarta.
Jakarta's mass rapid transit railway said trains were not stopping at one station on Saturday near Friday's protest site, while the Jakarta province-owned Transjakarta bus service said it was unable to serve customers.
Authorities urge peace
President Subianto ordered firm measures against “anarchic acts,” National Police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo said on television on Saturday, speaking alongside Indonesian military commander Agus Subiyanto.
While citizens have the right to expression and assembly, “demonstrations currently taking place in several regions tend to violate” the law, Listyo said, citing the burning of buildings and public facilities and the attacks on police headquarters.
Embassies in Jakarta, including those of the US, Japan, Australia and Singapore, issued warnings for their citizens in Indonesia to avoid crowds and protest areas.
(With inputs from agencies)