At least 20 people are missing following violent protests that have gripped cities across Indonesia over the past week, a human rights group has warned.
Mass protests first erupted on 25 August, prompted by anger over the perks and benefits given to lawmakers, including a controversial housing allowance. Public fury escalated further when a motorcycle taxi driver, 21-year-old Affan Kurniawan, was run over by a police vehicle at a protest site.
At least six people have been killed since the protests began, while 20 people remain missing, according to a statement released by the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS).
“Based on public reports submitted to KontraS ... as of September 1, there were 23 reports of missing persons. After the search and verification process, 20 missing persons remain unfound,” KontraS said.
The group said the 20 were reported missing in the cities of Bandung, Depok and the administrative cities of Central Jakarta, East Jakarta and North Jakarta that make up the wider capital city, with one incident taking place in an “unknown location”.
On Monday, hundreds gathered again outside parliament in Jakarta, where increased security measures were in place. Police set up checkpoints across the capital, while officers and the military conducted city patrols and deployed snipers in key locations. Schools and universities in Jakarta have switched to online classes until at least Tuesday, and civil servants have been asked to work from home.
President Prabowo Subianto said on Sunday night he had ordered the military and police to take firm action in response to the burning and looting of some politicians’ homes and state buildings.
Protests at parliament in Jakarta ended in the evening, though larger protests, and clashes, were reported elsewhere, including in Gorontalo city on Sulawesi island – where police fired teargas and water cannon – and in Bandung on the main island Java, where protesters hurled molotov cocktails and firecrackers at the provincial council building, according to Agence France-Presse.
Thousands also rallied in Palembang on Sumatra island and hundreds gathered separately in Banjarmasin on Borneo island, Yogyakarta on Java, and Makassar on Sulawesi, according to AFP journalists.
The United Nations on Monday called for an investigation into alleged use of disproportionate force in the protests. “All security forces, including the military when deployed in a law enforcement capacity, must comply with the basic principles on the use of force and firearms by law enforcement officials,” said UN human rights office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani.
Prabowo has promised an investigation into Kurniawan’s killing, and pledged to help his family. Seven officers have been detained for further investigation.
On Monday, Agus Wijayanto, head of the accountability bureau at the national police, told reporters an investigation had found criminal acts committed by two officers – the driver of the van and the officer next to him.
They “could be dishonourably discharged”, Agus said.
The protests prompted a rare concession from Prabowo, who announced on Sunday that political parties had agreed to cut some lawmakers’ perks, including a housing allowance of 50m rupiah ($3,075). The allowance, which is nearly 10 times higher than the minimum wage in Jakarta, had outraged the public.
However, Prabowo, while reiterating his government’s respect freedom of expression, also warned: “But when demonstrations turn anarchic, destroying public facilities, endangering lives and attacking private homes or public institutions, this becomes a serious violation of law.”
The homes of several political party members and state buildings have been targeted by looters or set on fire, including a house owned by the finance minister, Sri Mulyani Indrawati.
