As a result, many people have left work earlier, while others have been permitted to work remotely. Rani Wulandari, 25, a private company employee who works in the Sudirman Central Business District, was advised to work from home on Tuesday following the escalation of the protest into riots the previous night.

However, she still needed to visit her office to complete some tasks that could not be done from home. “I’ll go home after lunch though, because a human resource staffer berated me,” she said on Tuesday laughing.

She said on Monday she had gone home at 4:30 p.m., before the riots began.

“Sudirman train station was already packed with passengers because Palmerah Station was closed, so some people took the MRT nearby,” Rani.

She said she understood the motivation behind the protest and was used to public demonstrations as she used to work near the House of Representative complex where the protest was centered.

“I personally am not annoyed by the protest as long as it is for the common good and as long as public facilities are not damaged,” Rani said.