Three people have died and five others injured in Indonesia after protesters set fire to a regional parliament building in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi province, authorities confirmed on Saturday. The unrest marks the first major challenge for President Prabowo Subianto’s administration since he assumed office in October last year.
According to Indonesia’s disaster management agency, the cause of the fatalities remains unclear, but the Antara news agency reported that the victims were allegedly trapped inside the burning building. The agency added that two of the injuries resulted from people jumping out of the structure to escape the flames.
The protests began earlier this week in Jakarta over lawmakers’ pay and intensified on Friday after a police armoured vehicle struck and killed a ride-hailing motorbike driver. President Prabowo visited the home of the deceased driver late Friday, offering condolences to his parents and pledging to oversee a full investigation into the incident.
Local media reported cases of looting and damage to transportation facilities in Jakarta on Friday, alongside demonstrations in other major cities, including Bandung and Yogyakarta. Jakarta’s mass rapid transit system announced on Saturday that trains would not be stopping at one station near the protest site, while the city’s Transjakarta bus service also suspended operations in some areas.
By Saturday, authorities reported no immediate signs of new protests, though concerns remain over potential unrest as demonstrations continue to spread across parts of the country.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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