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Cities flare up as jobs law protesters clash with police
As of Thursday evening, reports of clashes, arson and arrests had come from at least a dozen cities: Greater Jakarta; Yogyakarta; Pontianak, West Kalimantan; Malang, East Java; Jambi; Medan, North Sumatra; Surakarta, Central Java; Bandung, West Java; Makassar, South Sulawesi; Palu, Central Sulawesi; Palembang, South Sumatra; and Denpasar, Bali.
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allies in protest against the contentious Job Creation Law have continued across the country three days after it was passed on Monday, with some turning violent as protesters clashed with police.
As of Thursday evening, reports of clashes, arson and arrests had come from at least a dozen cities: Greater Jakarta; Yogyakarta; Pontianak, West Kalimantan; Malang, East Java; Jambi; Medan, North Sumatra; Surakarta, Central Java; Bandung, West Java; Makassar, South Sulawesi; Palu, Central Sulawesi; Palembang, South Sumatra; and Denpasar, Bali.
During a rally in Jakarta, a Transjakarta bus stop near Hotel Indonesia and a traffic police post near Tugu Tani, both in Central Jakarta, were set on fire, it is not clear by whom.
Thousands of activists, students and workers clashed with the police in front of the Yogyakarta Legislative Council (DPRD) building. The protesters tried to enter the gate but to no avail. They then began throwing bottles and other missiles at the building. At some point during the rally, a restaurant next to the council building was set on fire but again it is not clear who was responsible.
Similar clashes happened in Surakarta, during which protesters reacted angrily to police attempts to confiscate a banner.
Hundreds of protesters in Malang pelted the Malang DPRD office with firecrackers and flares, setting fire to the front gate of the office.
Some protesters were seen, in a video tweeted on the Persatuan Buruh (Labor Unions) Twitter account, climbing over the fence to further attack the property on Thursday.
“Malang DPRD building was on fire on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020. Immediately annul the legal act that impoverishes the people!” the tweet read, referring to the Job Creation Law.
According to a kompas.com report, the police managed to disperse the crowd by firing tear gas. The protesters, however, continued their assembly in front of the nearby Tugu Hotel.
Similar scenes occurred in some other regions across the country with rally participants throwing stones and bottles at local DPRD buildings, as well as police officers securing the demonstrations.
Thursday’s protests were part of a three-day national strike against the Job Creation Law, which started on Tuesday.
Clashes between police and protesters had occurred over the previous two days, with dozens of rally-goers reportedly detained by police across the country.
At least nine people were arrested in Bandung and 14 others in Banten on Tuesday. Some 185 people, four of whom were students, were arrested in Palembang on Wednesday.
Police also briefly detained 17 Manado State University Students on the same day before releasing them.
Some protesters were also detained in Medan, Palembang, Yogyakarta and Makassar on Thursday. Three police officers were reportedly injured in the Medan demonstration, while dozens of protesters were rushed to hospital in Yogyakarta, where thousands of people took to the streets despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
The protesters have demanded that the law be revoked immediately. Academics, activists and labor unions have said the manner in which the law was deliberated and then passed violated the Constitution because it ignored public consultation.
They further claim that the law will pave the way for a more flexible labor market and make it easier to obtain business permits at the expense of workers’ rights and environmental protection.
The government, meanwhile, has insisted that the law is necessary to improve bureaucratic efficiency and cut red tape, particularly in regard to business licensing and investment.
— Nurni Sulaiman from Medan, Yulia Savitri from Palembang, Bambang Muryanto from Yogyakarta, Ni Komang Erviani from Bali, Ganug Nugroho from Surakarta and Andi Hajramurni from Makassar contributed to the story.
