A motorcycle taxi driver was killed on August 28 after being run over by an armoured police vehicle in Jakarta, which has caused at least 10 people to attend the demonstration on Wednesday.
The incident sparked a lot of outcry, which has since morphed into protests all over the country over rising taxes, lower wages, and higher salaries for politicians.
President Prabowo Subianto was forced to reverse plans to increase benefits for members of parliament during the rallies, and he also gave orders to the military and police to intervene against rioters and looters after political party members’ state buildings and homes were seized or set on fire.
According to student groups and authorities, police in Bandung continued to obstruct students on Tuesday as they fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters near two universities. At least 10 people were killed in the clashes as a result of the demonstrations.
At the rally on Wednesday in Jakarta, API leaders demanded that Prabowo be ordered to resign from security forces and stop using the military and police against civilians.
They urged the president, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, the president’s defense minister, and Agus Subiyanto, the commander of the National Armed Forces, to withdraw troops from the police force. Additionally, the group demanded that all detainees held without charge be released and that National Police Chief Listyo Sigit resign.
The coalition called for the arrest of all those who were detained to end the practice of dissent and demand that all detained be freed.
They pressed the government to grant Indonesians the right to organize, associate, and protest peacefully without fear of intimidation or violence, and said troops should return to the barracks.
Source: Aljazeera
Leave a Reply