Mohamad Bintang Pamungkas, Jakarta – A protest action in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) building in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Monday August 25 has ended in chaos at a number of points.
The demonstration, which began in the morning and continued through to the evening and was initially marked by the symbolic scattering of flowers, escalated into clashes, the destruction of public facilities and disruption of traffic flow and train travel.
At around 4.05 pm a crowd of students held a symbolic demonstration at the Pancasila Gate entrance to the DPR where they scattered flowers in front of the police barricade while chanting prayers, as if on a pilgrimage.
"This action is symbolic of the mourning for democracy and justice in Indonesia, which are said to be dead", said one of the speakers wearing white.
Even though the police dispersed the demonstration at the main gate, the crowd moved and again gathered at the back gate on Jalan Gelora.
Clash with police, firecrackers
As 5 pm approached, the situation became heated. Vocational high school (STM) students released a barrage of firecrackers in front of the Bank National Indonesia (BNI) 46 Tower until 5.45 pm. The students used the firecrackers to defend themselves from police who fired teargas at least three times.
A barricade of cars and water cannon were deployed to push the crowd back towards the Hilir Dam.
However, at around 5.50 pm the crowd again attacked police officers who had retreated into the DPR building. They then moved toward the Slipi Flyover while throwing stones.
At the Pejompongan tunnel, residents who were taking shelter from the rain panicked and ran towards the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) building.
Teargas smoke still blanketed the area as of 6.09 pm. Several media crews and residents were seen washing their faces to ease the stinging effects of the teargas.
Protesters enter toll road, traffic rerouted
At Around 5 pm the protesters also forced their way onto the inner city toll road at Km 07+400.
"Police officers were directed to the location to manage the crowd", said Jasamarga metropolitan toll road Senior Manager Ginanjar Rakhmanto.
As a result, Jasamarga implemented traffic management. Vehicles heading from Cawang to Slipi were diverted to the exit at the Km 05+000 off-ramp, while traffic heading the other way was diverted to the exit at the Km 12+500 off-ramp.
The Metro Jaya Regional Police (Polda) through its X account @TMCPoldaMetro also announced traffic diversions at several points, including at the Dharmais Hospital Exit towards Pancoran. "Motorists are advised to remain patient and be careful", wrote the TMC.
Protesters vandalise police post
The riots also targeted public facilities. A police post on Jalan Gerbang Pemuda in Tanah Abang was vandalized by demonstrators.
Monitoring at the location found that the windows had been smashed, the walls spray-painted, electrical panels opened and the inside of the post was filled with rubbish and broken glass.
"Destroy! destroy!" shouted one of the protesters, prompting small cheers from the crowd.
Some of the crowd vandalised the area with stones and bamboo poles, while others simply watched. Several students in white and grey uniforms were seen covering their faces with masks and cloth.
25 students arrested in Ciputat
Police also blocked the movement of protesters arriving from outside Jakarta. The East Ciputat Sectoral Police (Polsek) arrested 25 junior high (SMP) and high school students (SMA) suspected of planning to join a demonstration at the DPR building.
"They were provoked by an invitation on social media to join the demonstration" said East Ciputat Polsek chief Police Commissioner Bambang Askar Sodiq.
All students were detained at the East Ciputat Timur Sectoral Police Headquarters for further data collection.
Protesters take over train tracks, commuter line paralysed
The chaos continued onto the train tracks under the Pejompongan Flyover. The crowd climbed over the guardrails, crowded on to the tracks and threw stones at police. Some even waved Indonesian and "One Piece" flags.
Officers in camouflage uniforms fended off the attack with shields, while police fired tear gas.
Due to the crowd blocking the rail line, commuter train services between Tanah Abang and Palmerah were paralysed until evening. "There are still crowds of people near the rail tracks", said Indonesia Railways (KAI) Commuter VP Corporate Secretary Joni Martinus.
KAI Commuter has diverted trains via Kebayoran Station. Some commuter train trips can only terminate at Palmerah. A buildup of passengers occurred with some even choosing to walk on the tracks towards Palmerah while covering their noses and eyes because of the teargas.
The chaos caused severe traffic congestion, including on Jalan Tentara Pelajar the direction of Pejompongan. Central Jakarta Metro Police Chief Senior Commissioner Susatyo Purnomo Condro personally intervened and urged motorists not to stop on the flyover.
"Those who are still using motorbikes on the flyover, please move forward, this is not a spectacle", he asserted.
Indonesian People's Revolution action
Earlier, news circulated on social media about plans to hold a demonstration at the Indonesian parliament building on August 25. The demonstration was to be held to protest government policies that are deemed detrimental to the ordinary people.
One of the demands articulated was related to an increase in allowances for DPR members amidst the increasingly weakening national and social economy.
This news circulated widely through various social media platforms and was dubbed the "Indonesian People's Revolution" action.
– Reporters: Ridho Danu Prasetyo, Dinda Aulia Ramadhanty, Baharudin Al Farisi, Intan Afrida Rafni and Lidia Pratama Febrian
[Slightly abridged translation by James Balowski based on two articles by Kompas.com. The original title of the lead article was "Situasi Demo 25 Agustus di DPR hingga Senin Malam: Pos Polisi Dirusak, Tol Ditutup, KRL Lumpuh".]
