ASEANEWS HEADLINE- POLITICS | INDONESIA: Prabowo calls for calm as public outrage grows
People gather around a burned-out car set ablaze during a protest outside the Jakarta Police’s Mobile Brigade headquarters (Mako Brimob) on Aug. 29, 2025, a day after a motorcycle taxi driver was killed when he was run over by a police tactical vehicle. (AFP/Aditya Aji )
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WATCH VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_VAnc4tS6A
Indonesia anti-govt protests: Anger grows after ride-share driver killed by police
Indonesia has been rocked by anti-government protests for the second night in a row, with demonstrators filling the streets of Jakarta and other major cities. Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse crowds demanding better jobs, fair wages, and lower living costs. Tensions escalated after a motorcycle taxi driver was killed when struck by a police vehicle, sparking widespread anger. President Prabowo Subianto has apologized for the excessive use of force and urged calm.
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P resident Prabowo Subianto has urged calm as public anger mounts following the death of an online ride-hailing driver who was run over by a police tactical vehicle during clashes in Central Jakarta on Thursday evening.
Shock and fury rippled across the country after a video surfaced showing the driver, later identified as 21-year-old Affan Kurniawan, falling during the chaos and being run over by an armored vehicle belonging to the National Police’s Mobile Brigade (Brimob).
What began as protests over wage demands quickly escalated into a broader outcry against police brutality.
In his first remarks since the unrest earlier this week, Prabowo on Friday expressed condolences and condemned the officers’ conduct, saying he was “shocked and disappointed by the excessive actions” of the police.
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“In my personal capacity and on behalf of the government of the Republic of Indonesia, I extend my deepest condolences. I am very concerned and saddened by this tragedy,” Prabowo said, adding that the government would guarantee the well-being of the victim’s family.
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READ MORE: https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2025/08/30/prabowo-calls-for-calm-as-public-outrage-grows.html
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Yerica Lai
The Jakarta Post)-PREMIUM
Jakarta
Sat, August 30, 2025
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Indonesia
Indonesia protests erupt after delivery rider death in first major test for Prabowo
The president has ordered an investigation into the Jakarta incident amid growing tensions and outrage
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Protests erupted in multiple cities and tensions soared across Indonesia on Friday, a day after a delivery rider was allegedly run over by a police armoured vehicle during clashes between riot police and students protesting against lawmakers’ allowances.
Protesters marched to the headquarters of the police mobile brigade in the capital Jakarta on Friday, and some attempted to storm the compound. Police used water cannons and fired rounds of tear gas to push back the demonstrators, who hurled bottles, rocks and flares at them.
One group of rioters set fire to a five-storey building near the police compound in the Kwitang neighbourhood of central Jakarta, causing several people to be trapped inside. Some students halted their protests to help soldiers and residents rescue those trapped.
Other protesters destroyed traffic signs and other infrastructure, causing traffic to come to a standstill in the area.
Protests in Indonesia over ‘excessive’ pay to lawmakers
Clashes between rock-throwing demonstrators and riot police also broke out in other cities across the country, including Surabaya, Solo, Yogyakarta, Medan, Makassar, Manado, Bandung and Manokwari in the easternmost Papua region.
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The unrest came after a video on social media apparently showing the death of the motorcycle taxi driver during Thursday’s clashes shocked the nation and spurred an outcry against the security forces.
The victim, identified as 21-year-old Affan Kurniawan, was reportedly completing a food delivery service order when he was caught in the clash following days of violent demonstrations.
Witnesses told local television that the armoured car from the National Police’s Mobile Brigade unit suddenly sped through the crowd of demonstrators and hit Affan, causing him to fall. Instead of stopping, the car ran over him.
Thousands of motorcycle riders, along with rights activists and politicians, paid their respects to Affan on Friday during his burial. They filled a major roundabout in the heart of the city and sprawled into its main thoroughfares.
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President Prabowo Subianto visited Affan’s family late on Friday to pay his condolences. He earlier urged calm, promising an investigation into the motorcyclist’s death.
“I am deeply concerned and deeply saddened by this incident,” Prabowo said. “I was shocked and disappointed by the officers’ excessive actions.”
The former general said he has been closely monitoring developments surrounding the protests, and said he has ordered a thorough investigation. He called on people “to remain vigilant against elements that constantly stir up unrest and seek chaos.”
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Protests turn deadly in Indonesia sparked by opposition to lawmakers’ ‘excessive’ pay
“In a situation like this, I urge all citizens to remain calm and trust in the government I lead, which will do what’s best for the people,” Prabowo said.
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Authorities confirmed that seven members of the police motor brigade who were linked to the incident have been detained and questioned, though the driver of the armoured vehicle has not yet been identified.
Nationwide protests began on Monday after reports revealed that all 580 lawmakers received a monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah (US$3,075) in addition to their salaries. The allowance, introduced last year, is almost 10 times the Jakarta minimum wage.
Critics argue the new allowance is not only excessive but also insensitive at a time when most people are grappling with soaring living costs, taxes and rising unemployment.
The protests are an early challenge for Prabowo, who has pledged fast, state-driven growth to transform Southeast Asia’s largest economy into a major global powerhouse.
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But some of his policies, including widespread budget cuts announced this year to fund his flagship free meal programme for schoolchildren and a new sovereign wealth fund, have sparked public discontent.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
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