Mass protests have erupted across Indonesia after the government increased monthly housing allowances for lawmakers to levels critics say are about ten times the minimum wage in many regions. Student groups at UNISBA and UNPAS reported authorities firing tear gas into crowds near Bandung campuses. KontraS reported 23 initial missing-person reports and said 20 remained missing after a search and verification process, with cases in Jakarta, Depok and Bandung. Protests intensified after footage showed paramilitary officers running over a 21-year-old delivery driver. The unrest poses a major test to President Prabowo Subianto's administration, which began in October last year.
The KontraS rights group was cited by the AFP news agency as saying that there were initially 23 reports of missing persons, 20 of which remained missing after a "search and verification process." According to KontraS, a number of the instances were reported in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, or in the suburb of Depok on the city's outskirts. Other cases were from the city of Bandung, also located on the country's most populous island, Java.
Meanwhile, student groups at two Bandung universities, the Islamic University of Bandung (UNISBA) and Pasundan University (UNPAS), said authorities fired tear gas into crowds near the campuses. The protest wave has been a major test for the administration of President Prabowo Subianto, who took office in October of last year. Protests began after the government introduced a new monthly housing allowance for lawmakers that critics say is ten times higher than the minimum wage in many regions.
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