Indonesian students vow more protests after motorcycle rider killed in Jakarta clashes
Indonesian student groups said they will stage new demonstrations in Jakarta on Friday after a motorcycle taxi driver was killed by a police vehicle during violent clashes outside parliament the previous night.
Muzammil Ihsan, head of the country’s largest student union, told that Friday’s protest at police headquarters would denounce police violence. He said he expected multiple student organizations to join, News.az reports, citing Reuters.
Thursday’s unrest began during a rally over lawmakers’ allowances, education funding, and the government’s school meals program. As protests dragged into the night, riot police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse crowds.
Jakarta’s police chief, Asep Edi Suheri, confirmed that an armored vehicle struck and killed a motorcycle rideshare driver during the clashes. The victim, according to a drivers’ association, had not been part of the protest.
“As police chief and on behalf of the entire unit, I would like to express my deepest apologies and condolences,” Suheri said.
The seven officers operating the vehicle have been arrested and an investigation launched, police official Abdul Karim said.
The driver’s death sparked fresh protests late Thursday, as motorcycle drivers gathered outside riot police headquarters. Local media said the military was deployed to calm the crowd.
Meanwhile, Jakarta Legal Aid urged authorities to release some 600 people detained during the protests, warning of escalating unrest if the crackdown continues.
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