Staff Correspondent
At least three people have died and five others were injured after protesters set fire to a regional parliament building in Indonesia’s Sulawesi province. The incident occurred Friday evening in the provincial capital, Makassar. The deceased are suspected to have been trapped inside the burning building.
The disaster management agency reported that two people were injured after jumping from the building. The protests, initially triggered by lawmakers’ salary issues, escalated into violence after a motorbike rider was killed during a police crackdown.
Experts consider this protest the first major challenge for President Prabowo Subianto’s government. On Friday night, the President visited the family of the deceased motorbike rider, offering condolences and assuring a proper investigation.
During the unrest, several major cities including Jakarta and Bandung saw isolated incidents of looting and damage to transport infrastructure. While no new protests were reported on Saturday, train and bus services in the capital remained partially suspended.