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Jakarta riots: Indonesian president says he will not tolerate threats to unity Jakarta riots: Indonesian president says he will not tolerate threats to unity
(about 1 hour later)
Indonesian president Joko Widodo has said the volatile situation in the capital, Jakarta, is under control following deadly riots by supporters of his rival in last month’s presidential election. Political tension over disputed election results spilled into angry clashes for a second consecutive night in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, with protesters hurling rocks and firecrackers at police, who responded with tear gas.
Police said six people died and dozens were injured in rioting that began on Tuesday evening following the release of official election results showing Widodo had won a second term. Thousands gathered at Indonesia’s election supervisory agency on Wednesday, protesting against what they claim is widespread fraud in the 17 April presidential poll.
Flanked by the head of the military and other top leaders, Widodo said, “I will work together with anyone to advance this country, but I will not tolerate anyone who disrupts the security, democratic processes and unity of our beloved nation.” The election commission said on Tuesday that president Joko Widodo had won re-election with 55% of the vote, in a poll that is widely regarded as free and fair.
Indonesia riots: six dead after protesters clash with troops over election resultIndonesia riots: six dead after protesters clash with troops over election result
Supporters of former special forces general Prabowo Subianto burned vehicles and threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. In daylight hours Wednesday’s protest in Central Jakarta was peaceful, with supporters of defeated candidate, the former special forces general Prabowo Subianto, calling for an investigation and waving Islamic and Indonesian flags. Some held flowers and signs denouncing the deaths of six protestors the night before.
Police have said the rioting was planned rather than spontaneous. Subianto has refused to concede defeat to Widodo in the 17 April election. He instead declared himself the winner and plans a court challenge. “We are peaceful, not treasonous,” said Rusli, 46, a Jakarta resident, who attended the rally. “The voting data has been manipulated and the rights of our voices has been diminished. We want justice.”
Early on Thursday, Subianto called for the protesters to go home, and again urged them to avoid violence. Parts of central Jakarta were in a security lockdown, with streets cordoned off with rolls of barbed wire, central transport stations shut, and 30,000 police and military troops on standby.
“Trust in your leaders. We are struggling in the legal and constitutional way,” he said in a video on his Twitter feed. “We’re all looking for the best solution for the nation.” By nightfall many had left the demonstration, but authorities struggled to disperse a group of angry youths, who hurled rocks and fireworks over a razor-wire barricade. Police pushed back the main group of rioters after firing tear gas and rubber bullets.
Fresh skirmishes broke out on Wednesday evening with thousands of protesters chanting and waving Indonesian flags in the heart of the capital. In a televised address, the president said the volatile situation, some of the worst political violence Indonesia has seen in recent decades, was under control.
Some hurled stones and fireworks at riot police who lined up behind a razor wire barricade near the election supervisory agency building. Police pushed back the main group of rioters after firing tear gas and rubber bullets at the demonstrators. Flanked by the military chief and his vice president, Widodo said: “I will work together with anyone to advance this country, but I will not tolerate anyone who disrupts the security, democratic processes and unity of our beloved nation.”
At least three officers were injured in the clashes and carried away, an AFP reporter on the scene said. On Wednesday the national police chief confirmed that six people had died and dozens were injured.
Authorities had restricted access to some social media in a bid to stop rumours and fake news from spreading online. Authorities have suggested the rioting was planned, and have not ruled out the possibility of “third-party provocateurs”.
National police chief Tito Karnavian said six people had died, but denied authorities had fired live rounds at protesters, and called for calm. “Some had gunshot wounds, some had blunt-force wounds but we still need to clarify this,” he told reporters. Prabowo, who lost the 2014 election but this year declared himself the rightful winner, has said his team will contest the results through the constitutional court.
Indonesia election: Prabowo claims victory despite early counts showing loss In the month since the election, key figures in his camp, some of who attended the Wednesday’s rally, called on supporters to put on a show of “people power”. As a result, at least two are now facing charges of treason.
Jakarta’s governor Anies Baswedan said about 200 people had been injured. Prabowo was a military commander during the fall of Indonesia’s longtime authoritarian leader Suharto in 1998, an event precipitated by the mass gathering of students.
Authorities blamed the violence on paid “provocateurs”, citing money-filled envelopes they said were found on some of the 257 demonstrators arrested. The fiery general, also the former son-in-law of Suharto, was later dismissed for his conduct in 1998, specifically because he was accused of involvement in the kidnapping and torture of students, although this has never been proven and he has long denied it.
“I open myself to anyone who wants to develop this nation, but I won’t tolerate anyone who tries to disrupt public security, the democratic process or the unity of our... country,” Widodo said at a press briefing, flanked by his chief security minister and the head of the military. Early on Thursday Prabowo tried to set a conciliatory tone, calling for the protesters to go home, and again urging them to avoid violence.
Subianto, a former military man who has strong ties to the Suharto dictatorship that collapsed in 1998, has kept up a steady stream of rhetoric since unofficial results for last month’s poll put bitter rival Widodo ahead by a wide margin. “I plead to all elements of the people exercising their aspirations: the police, the armed forces, and everyone else to refrain from acts of physical harm,” he said, “We urge that the violence that happened last night and his dawn, which tarnished the dignity of the Indonesian nation, shall not repeat.”
Election officials and analysts have discounted Subianto’s claims, but many supporters appeared convinced of rampant cheating in the world’s third-biggest democracy behind India and the United States. On Wednesday, authorities for the first time blocked access to some social media sites in an attempt to stem the spread of fake news.
“We came here to demand justice because there was fraud in this presidential election,” protester Mato told AFP. “We don’t want chaos, but that depends on the police.”
Elsewhere, hundreds took part in a peaceful rally over election cheating claims in Sumatra’s Medan city, while a police station was torched in Pontianak on Borneo island.
IndonesiaIndonesia
Joko WidodoJoko Widodo
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