Indonesia police fire tear gas at protesters after driver’s death

JAKARTA: Indonesian police fired tear gas Friday at hundreds of protesters rallying in the capital over the death of a motorcycle taxi driver, hours after the country’s president promised to investigate the incident.

Violent clashes between protesters and police broke out on Thursday over anger at higher wages and perceived lavish perks for lawmakers, as public discontent grows over the government’s handling of the economy.

The police response to the protests drew strong criticism after videos circulated on social media showing a black tactical vehicle running over a man.

President Prabowo Subianto promised Friday to investigate the death of gig motorcycle driver Affan Kurniawan, expressing “deepest condolences and sympathy” on behalf of the government.

“I have ordered the last night’s incident to be thoroughly and transparently investigated, and that the officers involved be held accountable,” he said in a statement.

The government will take “the strongest possible actions” if officers are found to have acted against proper conduct and prevailing regulations, he added.

Hundreds of protesters massed at the paramilitary police unit’s Jakarta headquarters on Friday afternoon to rally against the driver’s death when police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, an AFP journalist at the scene said.

Protests have also spread to other major cities in Indonesia, including Surabaya in East Java and Medan in North Sumatra province.

On Thursday hundreds rallied near the Indonesian parliament in Jakarta over issues including hefty pay for lawmakers, whose monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah ($3,000) is nearly 10 times the minimum wage in Jakarta.

Labor groups also protested earlier, demanding better pay and for the government to take action against recent mass layoffs of workers.

Thousands of drivers gathered near the police mobile brigade headquarters in Jakarta Friday, demanding accountability for Kurniawan’s death.

Police cordoned off a stretch of road near the mobile brigade headquarters in central Jakarta.

They fired teargas in an attempt to disperse protesters, mostly drivers of taxi motorcycles know locally as “ojeks.”

“I joined the protest because I’m very concerned about the death of my fellow driver,” 52-year-old Muzakir said.

“We demand justice for Affan, for the perpetrators who ran him over to be tried as fairly as possible, and to be fired from their institution.”

Hundreds of gig motorcycle drivers, many dressed in their signature green and black jackets, shouted outside of the police’s local mobile brigade headquarters, hurling objects.

Authorities are questioning seven officers in connection with the incident, the police said.

“We have agreed that the seven suspected violators have been proven to have violated the police ethics codes,” the National Police’s head of internal affairs division, Abdul Karim told a press conference.

He said the officers would be detained for further investigation.

The protests are an early challenge for Prabowo, who has pledged fast, state-driven growth to transform Southeast Asia’s largest economy into a major global powerhouse.

But some of his policies, including widespread budget cuts announced this year to fund his flagship free meal program for schoolchildren and a new sovereign wealth fund, have sparked public discontent.