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Jakarta in flames - Protesters light fires outside police HQ amid fury over slain delivery rider

Jakarta in flames - Protesters light fires outside police HQ amid fury over slain delivery rider

"Fires burned in central Jakarta on Friday as hundreds of Indonesians took to the streets to protest the death of a 21-year-old delivery rider who was run over by a police armoured vehicle. Footage shows furious students and activists piling tyres, bamboo and other items outside a regional police headquarters and setting them alight. Anti-riot officers are seen moving to disperse the crowds amid clouds of tear gas. The fatal incident occurred on Thursday near parliament, where police had been attempting to quell unrest over lawmakers’ pay and education funding. Video of the crash, widely shared online, shows the vehicle accelerating into a crowd and striking the young rider, who was reportedly carrying out a food delivery at the time. Violence later spread to the Brigade Mobile Police compound in Central Jakarta, where riot police deployed tear gas and additional armoured vehicles in clashes with protesters. President Prabowo described the police response as 'excessive' and demanded a transparent investigation. The national police chief issued a public apology and confirmed that seven officers had been detained in connection with the killing. Despite these pledges, unrest escalated across the country. Protests broke out in Bandung and Surabaya on Java, as well as Gorontalo and Makassar on Sulawesi, where demonstrators torched police and legislative buildings. The turmoil forced schools in Jakarta to close early and prompted businesses to send employees home. The military was also deployed in parts of the capital. The wave of anger was initially sparked by public outrage over lawmakers’ perceived extravagance, including a monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah (US$3,000), nearly 20 times the minimum wage in some regions of Indonesia."

Jakarta in flames - Protesters light fires outside police HQ amid fury over slain delivery rider

Jakarta in flames - Protesters light fires outside police HQ amid fury over slain delivery rider

"Fires burned in central Jakarta on Friday as hundreds of Indonesians took to the streets to protest the death of a 21-year-old delivery rider who was run over by a police armoured vehicle. Footage shows furious students and activists piling tyres, bamboo and other items outside a regional police headquarters and setting them alight. Anti-riot officers are seen moving to disperse the crowds amid clouds of tear gas. The fatal incident occurred on Thursday near parliament, where police had been attempting to quell unrest over lawmakers’ pay and education funding. Video of the crash, widely shared online, shows the vehicle accelerating into a crowd and striking the young rider, who was reportedly carrying out a food delivery at the time. Violence later spread to the Brigade Mobile Police compound in Central Jakarta, where riot police deployed tear gas and additional armoured vehicles in clashes with protesters. President Prabowo described the police response as 'excessive' and demanded a transparent investigation. The national police chief issued a public apology and confirmed that seven officers had been detained in connection with the killing. Despite these pledges, unrest escalated across the country. Protests broke out in Bandung and Surabaya on Java, as well as Gorontalo and Makassar on Sulawesi, where demonstrators torched police and legislative buildings. The turmoil forced schools in Jakarta to close early and prompted businesses to send employees home. The military was also deployed in parts of the capital. The wave of anger was initially sparked by public outrage over lawmakers’ perceived extravagance, including a monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah (US$3,000), nearly 20 times the minimum wage in some regions of Indonesia."