undreds of university students rallied across Jakarta on Friday to demand that President Prabowo Subianto take steps to ease economic pressure amid rising prices of nonsubsidized fuels and other commodities.
The protest, dubbed #IndonesiaMenujuBangkrut (Indonesia heading for bankruptcy), was initiated by the University of Indonesia’s Student Executive Body (BEM UI) and joined by student bodies from other universities.
Hundreds of UI students departed from their campus in Depok, West Java on Friday afternoon toward the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle (Bundaran HI) in Central Jakarta. They were joined by students from other universities.
However, their buses were intercepted by the police, who directed the students to the Senayan legislative complex instead. Some of the students opted to march from Senayan to Bundaran HI to resume the rally.
As of 2:45 p.m., some of the students had reached Jl. Sudirman, around 300 meters from the traffic circle, but were held off by joint military and police officers.
Around 4,151 joint security personnel, including 500 from the Indonesian Military (TNI) were deployed to safeguard the protest, Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Budi Hermanto said on Friday. The police also planned traffic diversions and road closures around Jl. MH Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman.
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning.
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