Thousands of Indonesians protested across the country on Tuesday to pressure the government to reverse a decision to raise subsidized fuel prices by more than 30% in Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy.
Thousands of police officers have been deployed throughout the capital Jakarta, many of them stationed at gas stations to guard them for fear they will be targeted amid growing anger over price hikes, the first increase in eight years amid high inflation.
Videos circulating on social media show large numbers of people storming the parliament building. Earlier, President Joko Widodo said he had no choice but to raise fuel prices, an unpopular move in a country of 270 million where oil prices are about 32 percent higher than a year ago. Fuel subsidies are a sensitive issue, but the government has sought to mitigate the impact through offsetting measures, including direct cash support.
