Three Dead After Protests In Indonesia

Three people have been killed after protesters set fire to a council building in eastern Indonesia, amid nationwide demonstrations over the death of a ride-sharing driver.

Affan Kurniawan, 21, was run over by a police vehicle in Jakarta during earlier – and ongoing – protests about low wages and politicians expenses.

The demonstrations are seen as a key test for President Prabowo Subianto, who visited the family of Kurniawan late on Friday to pay his condolences.

Elsewhere across the country, tear gas was fired at crowds in the cities of Jakarta and Surabay as violent clashes broke out.

Affan Kurniawan’s funeral took place on Friday, with his former colleagues accompanying him to his final resting place.

They were joined by Jakarta police chief Asep Edi Suheri, as well as politicians Rieke Dyah Pitaloka and former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan, who expressed hope that the case would be thoroughly investigated but called delivery riders to stop their protest in order to maintain stability.

The police chief also repeated an apology.

As this was happening, protesters gathered outside the police headquarters to demand justice for his death.

An apology has also been issued to Mr Kurniawan’s family by President Prabowo Subianto, who said he was “shocked and disappointed by the excessive actions of the officers”.

The governor of Jakarta, Pramono Anung, also visited Mr Kurniawan’s family, expressing condolences and offering financial assistance for funeral arrangements.

On Friday, seven members of the Mobile Brigade Corps (Satbrimob) were “found to have violated the police professional code of ethics”.

As the day went on, tensions ramped up, with protesters trying to block a police convoy and throwing rocks at the vehicles.

The crowd continued to grow, as students from the local Pertamina University arrived.

Earlier, protesters had put up a banner on a nearby pedestrian bridge that read “arrest the damn officers”.

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