Over 300 arrested in Indonesia

REUTERS:

The rally dispersed Thursday evening, but local media outlets reported individuals in black shirts remained on the streets long after, setting fire to a police post and two motorcycles, closing roads and hurling rocks and sticks at police, who responded with water cannon and tear gas.

A Reuters witness heard several loud bangs near the area of the reported unrest.

Jakarta police have detained 322 people, including 160 people younger than 18 years old, Jakarta police spokesperson Budi Hermanto told a press conference.

"After the majority of the crowd had dispersed, a group of rioters arrived and tried to disrupt public order and security," Budi said, adding that a number of them were allegedly carrying makeshift weapons.

Budi also said one man was evacuated from the scene after losing consciousness and later died at a hospital.

Police were "gathering facts" regarding the fatality, another official, Iman Imanuddin, said at the same briefing.

Police have named 45 people as suspects for allegedly causing damage to public facilities and conducting acts of violence, Iman added.

Several routes on the commuter rail line in Jakarta were suspended or diverted on Friday while the city's bus system said its routes near the parliamentary building were impacted by road closures. The affected bus routes have since returned to normal operation, the operator said.

The protest came at a difficult time for Prabowo, a retired general who was elected in 2024 with a huge majority but is battling to restore the confidence of the public, business and investors anxious over the economic impacts of his ambitious, populist programmes.

Prabowo's approval rating slumped to 38% this month in a poll by investigative news outlet Tempo.

Videos posted early Friday and circulating on social media, which Reuters could not immediately verify, showed police using tear gas, some hunkered behind shields. Reuters