Thousands of Indonesians marched to parliament in Jakarta on Thursday to demand harsher punishments for corrupt officials. The event came exactly one year after anti-government protests turned into riots, leaving about 10 dead and nearly 7,000 arrested.
Riot police kept crowds behind the locked gates of the legislature for most of the day. According to AFP, after dark, some protesters threw objects at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons. A police post and a motorcycle were set on fire, and several people were carried away on stretchers.
Students also marched in the cities of Yogyakarta and Makassar. Protesters demanded that parliament pass a bill first introduced in 2008 that would allow the state to confiscate assets linked to corruption. Some at the rally called for the death penalty for corrupt officials.
Several lawmakers met with representatives of the protest group Pati Community Alliance and promised to resign if the bill is not passed before December 15, according to group leader Sopriyano.
About 200 students from several universities joined the protest, urging the government to cancel its free school meal program, which has been marred by corruption allegations and repeated food poisoning cases. They also called for an end to the “militarization” of Indonesian society and for lower food prices.
“We chose August 27 to commemorate because last year there were riots and many other incidents. Today we want to convey our aspirations, not cause riots,” a student representative told Reuters.
Jakarta police deployed 18,500 officers and detained 65 people before the march on suspicion of being “provocateurs,” spokesperson Budi Hermanto said. Security Minister Djamari Chaniago said the deployment was not meant to restrict freedom of expression. “We will protect them so their aspirations can be conveyed properly,” he said.
