Indonesia protests over lawmakers’ pay lead to deaths, arson and TikTok suspension 

National police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo said on Saturday that President Subianto had ordered the authorities to take firm action against protesters who broke the law.

Parliament buildings set on fire

On Saturday, protesters set fire to regional parliament buildings in three provinces – West Nusa Tenggara, Pekalongan in Central Java, and Cirebon in West Java – according to local media reports.

Detik.com said protesters looted office equipment in Cirebon, while police used tear gas to disperse crowds in other provinces. Reuters said it could not independently confirm the reports, and authorities were not immediately available for comment.

The arson attacks followed Friday’s violence in Makassar, South Sulawesi, where at least three people died and five were injured during protests.

Local media outlet metrotvnews.com reported an additional death linked to the fire at Makassar’s parliament building, though this could not be verified. Indonesia’s disaster agency said some victims had been trapped inside the building, while two people were injured after jumping out to escape.

President cancels China trip

Presidential spokesperson Prasetyo Hadi said in a video statement on Saturday that Prabowo Subianto had cancelled his planned visit to Beijing because of the unrest.

The president had been due to attend a “Victory Day” parade on September 3 to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two.

TikTok suspends live feature

Separately, TikTok said it had temporarily suspended its live-streaming feature in Indonesia as a safety measure.

“In light of the increasing violence in protests in Indonesia, we are taking additional security measures to keep TikTok a safe and civil space. As part of this measure, we are voluntarily suspending the TikTok LIVE feature for the next few days in Indonesia,” TikTok said in a statement quoted by Reuters.

The company said it would continue removing content that violated its guidelines. TikTok has more than 100 million users in Indonesia.

Media reports said protests also took place in Bali, where demonstrators gathered outside a police headquarters. Police were reported to have fired tear gas.

Transport in Jakarta was disrupted on Saturday, with the city’s metro skipping one station near a protest site and bus services facing delays.

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