In Indonesia, protesters set fire to regional parliament building, leaving 3 dead

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Protesters set fire to a local parliament building in an Indonesian provincial capital, leaving at least three people dead and five others hospitalized, officials said, capping a week of escalating nationwide antigovernment demonstrations.

The parliament building fire in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi province, began late Friday. Television reports showed the provincial council building ablaze overnight, casting an orange glow over the city.

Rescuers retrieved three bodies by Saturday morning, while five people were hospitalized with burns or broken bones after jumping from the building, said Fadli Tahar, a local disaster official.

Daily protests this week over a report on lawmakers’ compensation, which many deem excessive, have intensified since the death of a bystander, apparently at the hands of security forces, at a rally in the capital Thursday.

Protesters in West Java’s Bandung city also set a regional parliament ablaze Friday, but no casualties were reported. In Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city, protesters stormed the regional police headquarters after destroying fences and torching vehicles. Security forces fired tear gas and used water cannons, and demonstrators fought back with fireworks and wooden clubs.

Foreign embassies in Jakarta, including the U.S., Australia and Southeast Asian countries, have advised their citizens in Indonesia to avoid protest areas or large public gatherings.

Calm largely returned to Indonesia’s capital Saturday as authorities cleaned up burned-out cars, police offices and bus shelters that were set ablaze by angry protesters.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto canceled his planned visit to China next week, citing the escalating protests.

“This decision was taken with great caution while maintaining good relations with the Chinese government,” Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said in a statement. Subianto, who was among several heads of state and government invited by Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend the Victory Day Parade in Beijing on Wednesday, conveyed his apology to Beijing, the secretary said.

Five days of protests began in Jakarta, the capital, on Monday, sparked by reports that all 580 lawmakers receive a monthly housing allowance of $3,075 in addition to their salaries. The allowance, introduced last year, is almost 10 times the Jakarta minimum wage.

Critics argue the new allowance is excessive, especially at a time when most people are grappling with soaring living costs and taxes and rising unemployment.

The protests over lawmakers’ pay grew wider and more violent after the death of 21-year-old ride-hailing driver Affan Kurniawan. A video on social media that appeared to show his death during a rally in Jakarta on Thursday shocked the nation and spurred an outcry against the security forces.

Kurniawan was reportedly completing a food delivery order when he was caught in the clash. Witnesses told local television that the armored car from the National Police’s Mobile Brigade unit suddenly sped through the crowd of demonstrators and hit Kurniawan, causing him to fall. Instead of stopping, the car ran over him.

Protests in several regions have escalated into riots, with buildings and public facilities set on fire and police headquarters attacked, National Police Chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo said at a news conference Saturday evening.

“Such situations can no longer be considered freedom of expression, but rather criminal acts,” he said, adding that the police and the military “would immediately act to restore public order.”

On Saturday, hundreds of ride-hailing drivers and students in Bali staged a solidarity demonstration over Kurniawan’s death in a rare protest on the tourist island. They called for police reform and the release of those arrested during the protests.

Protesters marched to Bali’s regional police headquarters, and riot police fired rounds of tear gas at them to push back those who tried to reach the heavily guarded compound. Protesters responded by throwing rocks, bottles and flares.

Clashes between riot police and protesters erupted in cities across Indonesia on Friday, including Medan, Solo, Yogyakarta, Magelang, Malang, Bengkulu, Pekanbaru and Manokwari in easternmost Papua region.

Some 950 people were arrested in rallies in Jakarta alone by Thursday, according to the National Commission on Human Rights, or Komnas HAM.

Authorities said about 25 officers were hospitalized with serious injuries after being attacked by protesters in Jakarta. The Komnas HAM said that the number of injured people on the community side is much bigger.

Amnesty International criticized the Indonesian government Saturday, saying it suppresses free speech with crackdowns on public protests.

“No one should lose their lives for exercising their right to protest,” said Usman Hamid, the executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia. “The authorities must immediately and unconditionally release anyone detained solely for exercising their rights.”

Karmini and Jatmiko write for the Associated Press. AP journalists Dita Alangkara and Achmad Ibrahim contributed to this report.