Indonesia tightens security as students rally one year after deadly protests

By Ananda Teresia

JAKARTA, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Indonesia stepped ‌up security around parliament ​in the ​capital Jakarta and in other major cities on Thursday as demonstrators gathered for rallies, a year after a wave of violent anti-government protests erupted across the country.

Thousands of students and civilians joined nationwide protests against ‌the government's spending priorities in August last year. Ten people were killed during the rioting, while nearly ⁠7,000 were arrested and hundreds sentenced.

On Thursday, students rallied in Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Makassar to commemorate last year's events, protest against government policies and demand ‌harsher penalties for corruption.

Police arrested 65 people ‌accused of seeking to exploit the protests and create unrest, Jakarta police spokesperson Budi Hermanto said, adding that airsoft guns, materials for making Molotov cocktails and communication devices have been seized as evidence.

It is unclear if the people arrested were ​directly involved in the demonstrations.

President Prabowo Subianto's approval rating fell to 38% in August, according to a poll by Tempo, a leading investigative media outlet, amid concerns over his costly populist programmes.

A major source of discontent has been Prabowo's ⁠free meals scheme, which has been dogged by governance issues, mass outbreaks of food poisoning and other legal challenges.

Chief Security Minister Djamari Chaniago said before the protests began ​that the deployment of security personnel was not aimed at clamping down on freedom of expression.

"We will escort them so that their aspirations can be conveyed properly," he said.

Around 18,000 police personnel ​have been deployed near the parliamentary complex, Tempo reported. Police buses and ‌military trucks were also seen around Jakarta's main roads, according to a Reuters witness.

Local media reported that police had stopped several protesters from going to the parliamentary building.

Some of the protesters damaged ⁠the fence around the building while attempting to climb over it, live footage from local broadcaster Kompas TV showed. Others were seen burning tyres.

STOP FREE MEALS, MILITARISATION

In Jakarta, around 200 students from several universities gathered in front of parliament, demanding an end to Prabowo's free meals and ⁠a halt to the "militarisation" of Indonesian society, as well as lower staple food prices, representative Kahirul Ammar told Reuters.

"We chose August 27 to commemorate ​because last year there were riots and various other incidents. And today we want to convey our aspirations, not cause riots," he said.

Earlier on Thursday, around 200 members of the United Pati Community Alliance, a grassroots group from Pati in Central Java, were also protesting outside parliament.

The group, ‌which organised a series of protests last year against a plan to raise property tax by 250%, called on parliament to pass a bill allowing the government to seize assets involved ‌in crimes like corruption and money laundering, said Adi Junanto, a member of the group's legal staff.

A former mayor of Pati who spearheaded ⁠the tax increase is currently facing trial for alleged ‌corruption.

The lawmakers met with the group's ​representatives and promised to resign if they did not pass the law by December 15 at the latest, the group's leader Supriyono told protesters after the meeting.

(Reporting by Ananda Teresia and Johan Purnomo; Editing ‌by David Stanway)

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