Indonesian police fire tear gas as students protest against rumoured delay of 2024 election
- Scores of university students marched towards parliament to complain about rising goods costs and the prospect of the president outstaying his two-term limit
- President Joko Widodo has sought to dampen speculation of a plan being hatched by his allies to keep him in power longer
Indonesian police fired tear gas and water cannon on Monday to disperse hundreds of university students protesting high cooking oil prices and a mooted extension of President Joko Widodo’s stay in office.
Crowds of demonstrators were seen running away from the scene outside parliament in the capital Jakarta, according to a Reuters witness, while Kompas TV said rocks had been thrown into the complex.
There were no immediate reports of violence or injuries.
The rally was one of several across Indonesia on Monday, including in South Sulawesi, West Java and Jakarta, where hundreds of students wearing neon jackets had marched towards parliament to complain about rising goods costs and the prospect of the president outstaying his two-term limit.
Jokowi, as the president is known, on Sunday sought to dampen speculation of a plan being hatched by his allies to keep him in power longer.