Indonesia Protests (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
At least 20 people remain missing in Indonesia following days of violent protests over lavish perks for lawmakers that have spiralled into broader anger against police, a rights group said Tuesday.Also Read | Protests rock Indonesia: Finance minister’s home looted amid unrest; MPs’ residences also targeted by angry mobs The Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS) said it had received 23 reports of missing persons as of September 1.“After the search and verification process, 20 missing persons remain unfound,” the group said in a statement, according to AFP. The cases were reported in Bandung, Depok, and across Jakarta’s administrative regions.At least six people have been killed since the unrest began last week. Tensions escalated further after a young delivery driver was shot dead by a paramilitary police unit despite not being involved in the clashes.Also Read | Indonesia: Driver’s death sparks nationwide anger; President Prabowo vows probe, warns agitators The United Nations has called for an investigation into allegations of excessive force. The unrest has already forced President Prabowo Subianto into a rare policy reversal on lawmakers’ perks, marking the most serious challenge to his presidency since taking office in October 2024. Jakarta on edge On Monday, the military was deployed in Jakarta as hundreds of protesters massed outside parliament. Authorities set up checkpoints, conducted joint police–army patrols, and stationed snipers at key sites. The normally congested capital saw lighter traffic, with schools, universities, and civil offices shifting online or remote until at least Tuesday. Elsewhere, clashes spread nationwide: protesters threw Molotov cocktails and firecrackers at the council building in Bandung, while violent confrontations erupted in Gorontalo on Sulawesi. Thousands rallied in Palembang on Sumatra, and hundreds more marched in Banjarmasin (Borneo), Yogyakarta (Java), and Makassar (Sulawesi).
