Latest News

In several provinces, protesters have set fire to the Indonesian Parliament buildings

Indonesian protesters have set fire to regional parliament buildings across three provinces, as part of continuing demonstrations. This comes a day following the death of three people in violent violence. The incident has been a test for Prabowo Subito.

Local media reported that protesters set fire to parliament buildings in West Nusa Tenggara and Cirebon, West Java, as well as Pekalongan, Central Java, and Cirebon, West Java.

Detik.com reported that protesters looted office equipment in Cirebon, while police fired tear gas in Pekalongan to disperse the crowd.

Authorities were not immediately available to comment on the reports.

The protests in Indonesia's Jakarta began earlier this week, over the pay of lawmakers. They grew on Friday when a police car hit and killed a motorbike driver.

Listyo Sigit Prabowo, the national police chief, said that on Saturday President Obama had ordered that authorities take strict action against those who break laws.

Arson attacks on parliament buildings follow Friday's deadly demonstration in Makassar (capital of South Sulawesi Province) that left three dead and five wounded.

Metrotvnews.com, a local media outlet in Makassar, reported a second death as a result of the fire at the parliamentary building. This report could not be independently verified.

In a statement released earlier Saturday, the disaster management agency did not give any details about the deaths in the Friday fire. However, state news agency Antara reported that the victims were trapped inside the burning building.

Two people were injured when they jumped out of the burning building.

Local media reported that there were also protests on the island of Bali, at the police headquarters. The police reportedly used tear gas against the demonstrators.

Transjakarta, a Jakarta-owned bus company, was also affected by the disruption. Reporting from Makassar by Abd Rahman Muchtar; writing by Stefanno Sulaiman, editing by William Mallard

(source: Reuters)