The China Mail - Thousands protest in Indonesia as military deployed in capital

At least 300 protesters gathered outside the nation's parliament in Jakarta Monday afternoon as dozens of soldiers watched. Thousands more rallied in Palembang on Sumatra island and hundreds gathered in Banjarmasin on Borneo island and Yogyakarta on the main island of Java, according to AFP journalists around the country.

"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," prostester and university student Nafta Keisya Kemalia, 20, told AFP.

"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 Thursday.

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 on 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.

Hundreds of soldiers were camped at the city's national monument and some were stationed outside the presidential palace, according to an AFP journalist.

At least one group, the Alliance of Indonesian Women, said late Sunday it had cancelled its planned protest because of heightened security.

The capital's police force paraded a convoy of armoured cars and motorbikes outside parliament late Sunday, in a show of force as they attempt to warn off protesters.

Schools and universities in Jakarta were holding classes online until at least Tuesday, and civil servants based in the city were asked to work from home.

- Looting -

Experts said Prabowo's U-turn in a speech on Sunday and parliament's gesture to revoke some lawmaker perks may not be enough to dispel the unrest.

"The Indonesian government is a mess. The cabinet and parliament will not listen to the people's pleas," 60-year-old snack seller Suwardi, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, told AFP near parliament.

"We have always been lied to. That's why people are always angry. Because they never met our demands."

The Indonesian stock index fell more than three percent at the open on Monday after the weekend unrest rattled markets.

Deep-rooted anger against police drove protests on Friday after footage of the van hitting Affan went viral. Seven officers were detained for investigation.

On Monday Agus Wijayanto, head of the accountability bureau at the National Police, told reporters an investigation had found criminal acts committed by two officers -- the driver of the van and the officer next to him.

They "could be dishonourably discharged", said Agus, adding their ethics trial would take place on Wednesday.

The crisis has prompted Prabowo to cancel a trip to China this week for a military parade commemorating the end of World War II.

Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin warned Sunday that the security forces would take "firm action" against "rioters and looters", after the finance minister's house was pillaged.

Several lawmakers have reportedly had their houses ransacked in recent days.

At least three people were killed after a fire Friday started by protesters at a council building in the eastern city of Makassar, while a fourth was killed by a mob in the city in a case of mistaken identity. Another confirmed victim was a student in Yogyakarta, who died in clashes.

In anticipation of further unrest, TikTok on Saturday suspended its live feature for "a few days" in Indonesia, where it has more than 100 million users.

B.Carter--ThChM