Riots Erupt In Jakarta

Jakarta: Riots and protests erupted around Jakarta early Wednesday morning as groups upset at the result of the Indonesian presidential race took to the streets according to police.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, who supported the opposition candidate Prabowo Subianto, claimed that six people were killed and 200 others were injured when mobs clashed with the security forces.

“As of 9 am this morning, six people were killed, 200 injured,” he said as reported by the media.

However, Indonesian National Police PR division head M Iqbal did not confirm the deaths and said police were still investigating the allegations.

“Demonstrations held at several places since late last night until early this morning were not impromptu mass demonstrations but were carried out by a group of about 200 people in a planned manner to disrupt public order,” he said.

Protesters reportedly threw rocks, molotov cocktails and firecrackers to security forces who called on them to disperse.

Iqbal said police had to use tear gas to disperse protesters and denied using live ammunition.

“The rioters were not from Jakarta, but from outside Jakarta, from West Java, and there was an ambulance detained by the police carrying a logo of a political party, full of rocks, and police had to act by using tear gas, there were protesters who sustained injuries but no data yet,” he added.

He said 14 vehicles were torched by rioters early in the morning and police have arrested nearly 100 people so far.

By noon, over 50,000 police and military personnel were deployed at strategic locations in Jakarta.