Mass protests across multiple Indonesian cities escalated into violent attacks on regional parliaments and police facilities, resulting in at least three deaths and several injuries. In Makassar, protesters set the provincial council building ablaze and rescuers recovered three bodies; others were hospitalized after jumping from the burning structure. Demonstrations also engulfed Bandung and Surabaya, where police used tear gas and water cannons while protesters fought back. The unrest began after reports that all 580 lawmakers receive a 50 million rupiah monthly housing allowance, roughly ten times the Jakarta minimum wage, and intensified after the reported death of a 21-year-old delivery driver during a rally.
An angry mob set fire to a local parliament building in an Indonesian provincial capital, leaving at least three people dead and five others hospitalized, officials said. The blaze in Makassar, the capital city of South Sulawesi province, began late Friday. Television reports showed the provincial council building ablaze overnight, causing the area to turn an eerie orange color. Rescuers retrieved three bodies by Saturday morning,
Protesters in West Java's Bandung city also set a regional parliament ablaze on Friday, but no casualties were reported. In Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city, protesters stormed the regional police headquarters after destroying fences and torching vehicles. Security forces fired tear gas and used water cannons, but demonstrators fought back with fireworks and wooden clubs. Calm largely returned to Indonesia 's capital on Saturday as authorities cleaned up burned-out cars, police offices and bus shelters that were set ablaze by angry protesters.
Five days of protests began in Jakarta on Monday, sparked by reports that all 580 lawmakers receive a monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah ($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 and taxes and rising unemployment.
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