Image Credentials: Image Title: Indonesia Faces Unrest: Young Man Killed, Officers Detained, Finance Minister’s House Looted Source: (Sora.ChatGpt) Date: August 2025. Attribution: Created using AI-generated imagery (Sora.ChatGpt), this does not depict a real-world scene.
By Staff Writer | Open Chronicle with Agencies
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Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin warned that security forces “will not hesitate to take decisive action against protesters and looters who invade private areas or state institutions.” His statement followed a series of escalating incidents, including arson attacks, looting, and the death of a young motorbike taxi driver under police custody.
Violence Spreads Nationwide
On Friday night, three people were killed in Makassar, South Sulawesi, when protesters set fire to a public building. The following day, the home of Finance Minister Sri Mulyani in Jakarta was ransacked. Witnesses confirmed the minister was not present during the attack.
The protests began on Monday over rising frustration with low wages and the perception of excessive financial benefits granted to parliamentarians. Anger intensified after a viral video on Thursday showed a police van running over and killing a 21-year-old delivery driver in Jakarta.
The footage ignited public outrage. Police responded with tear gas to disperse crowds, but protests have since spread to Yogyakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya, and Medan, among other major cities across the archipelago.
Police Officers Detained
President Prabowo Subianto, who took office less than a year ago, has faced his first major test as leader. He promised a “transparent investigation” into the young man’s death, confirming that seven police officers have been detained in connection with the incident.
In a sign of the seriousness of the crisis, Subianto canceled a planned trip to China, where he was scheduled to attend the Victory Parade on September 3 alongside President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. “The President wants to directly monitor the situation in Indonesia and seek the best solutions,” his spokesperson said in a televised address.
Parliament Buildings Attacked
On Saturday, protesters set fire to regional parliament buildings in Nusa Tenggara Barat, Pekalongan (Central Java), and Cirebon (West Java). A day earlier, the parliament building in Makassar was also torched, leaving three dead, according to the national disaster agency.
These events highlight the growing scale of unrest, described by analysts as the most violent protests since Subianto came to power in October last year.
Role of Social Media
The Indonesian government has accused social media platforms of amplifying anti-government sentiment and fueling unrest. Officials have urged companies such as TikTok and Meta to increase content moderation and temporarily disable live-streaming features that protesters have used to broadcast events in real time.
A Nation on Edge
Indonesia’s protests reflect deeper frustrations over economic inequality and political disillusionment. For many, the anger is not just about wages or parliamentary perks, but also about trust in government institutions and accountability for police violence.
President Subianto faces an uphill battle in restoring order, as public anger continues to grow and protests expand beyond Jakarta. With demonstrations now spreading nationwide, Indonesia’s stability faces one of its most significant challenges in recent years.