Indonesia Parliament Building Torched: Death Toll Rises Amid Ongoing Protest Violence

At least three people have died after protesters set fire to a regional parliament building in Indonesia during a fifth day of unrest. Five people have been taken to hospital with burns or broken bones after jumping from the building in Makassar, the capital city of South Sulawesi province, after it was set alight on Friday, according to local disaster official Fadli Tahar. Rescuers retrieved the bodies of three people believed to have been trapped in the building on Saturday morning. In West Java’s Bandung city, protesters set a regional parliament ablaze on Friday, but no casualties were reported. Protesters also stormed the regional police headquarters in Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city, after destroying fences and torching vehicles. Indonesian security forces used tear gas and water cannons against the protesters, who hit back with fireworks and wooden clubs. The protests, which have been raging since Monday, started in Jakarta following reports that 580 lawmakers receive a monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah (£2,255) in addition to their salaries. Critics say the new allowance is not only excessive, but also insensitive at a time when most people are struggling with soaring living costs, taxes and unemployment. The allowance, which was introduced last year, is almost 10 times the minimum wage in the capital. The Jakarta home of politician Ahmad Sahroni, from the political party NasDem, was looted by a crowd, which took items including furniture, according to local media. Mr Sahroni has faced criticism for labelling people who called for parliament to be dissolved amid anger over lawmakers’ allowances “the stupidest people in the world”. The protests intensified and grew more violent after a 21-year-old food delivery driver was killed by an armoured police vehicle, which reportedly sped through a crowd of protesters in Jakarta and hit him on Thursday. The protests have also reached the tourist island of Bali, where hundreds of delivery drivers and students staged a solidarity protest over his death, calling for police reform and the release of those arrested during the protests. Clashes between riot police and protesters erupted in multiple cities across Indonesia on Friday, including in Medan, Solo, Yogyakarta, Magelang, Malang, Bengkulu, Pekanbaru and Manokwari in the eastern Papua region. Nearly 1,000 people were arrested in rallies in Jakarta alone by Thursday, according to the National Commission on Human Rights. Foreign embassies in Jakarta, including the US, Australia and several Southeast Asian countries, have warned their citizens to avoid protest areas or large public gatherings. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto cancelled his planned visit to China next week due to the protests, which have escalated into riots in several regions, with several buildings and public facilities set alight.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/at-least-three-dead-after-indonesian-parliament-building-set-ablaze-as-violent-protests-rage-on-13421793