Thousands protest in Indonesia as army deployed in capital
JAKARTA
Thousands rallied across Indonesia Monday as the military was deployed in the capital after six people were killed in nationwide protests sparked by anger over lavish perks for lawmakers.
At least 500 protesters gathered outside the nation's parliament in Jakarta Monday afternoon as dozens of police officers watched on. Soldiers were present earlier but left after several hours.
Thousands more rallied in Palembang on Sumatra island and hundreds gathered separately in Banjarmasin on Borneo island, Yogyakarta on the main island of Java and Makassar on Sulawesi island.
"Our main goal is to reform the parliament. We hope the parliament will come out and meet us. We want to talk to them directly, they are our representatives," protester and university student Nafta Keisya Kemalia, 20, told AFP outside parliament.
"Do they want to wait until we have a martial law?"
The deadly protests, which began last week over MP housing allowances nearly 10 times the minimum wage in Jakarta, have forced President Prabowo Subianto and parliament leaders to make a U-turn over the measures.
Demonstrations began peacefully, but turned violent against the nation's elite paramilitary police unit after footage showed one of its teams running over 21-year-old delivery driver Affan Kurniawan late Aug. 28.
Protests have since spread from Jakarta to other major cities, in the worst unrest since Prabowo took power.
Police set up checkpoints across the capital Monday, while officers and the military conducted city-wide patrols and deployed snipers in key locations, while the usually traffic-clogged streets were quieter than usual.
Schools and universities in Jakarta were holding classes online until at least today, and civil servants based in the city were asked to work from home.
