Indonesia burns: Three people killed after protesters torch government building - as anger mounts over death of taxi driver run over by police
By Poppy Atkinson Gibson
Daily Mail
Aug 30, 2025
Three people have been killed after protesters set fire to a local government building in an Indonesian provincial capital.
The violence in Makassar, the capital city of South Sulawesi province left at least three people dead and five others hospitalized, officials said.
The blaze began on Friday night and television reports showed the provincial council going up in flames as politicians tried desperately to flee.
Rescuers retrieved three bodies on Saturday morning, while five people were hospitalized with burns or with broken bones after jumping from the building, said Fadli Tahar, a local disaster official.
And the violence has spread across the country with mobs in West Java's Bandung city also setting a regional parliament ablaze on Friday although no one was injured.
Protesters have grown increasingly angry over officials' pay but their latest violence has been provoked by the death of 21-year-old motorcycle taxi driver.
A video on social media appeared to show Affan Kurniawan being run over by police during a rally relating to low wages and financial bonuses for government officials.
In Makassar pictures show protesters lighting fires inside the collapsing buildings and throwing Molotov cocktails as the office crumbles around them.
A local government building in the Indonesian provincial capital of South Sulawesi pictured going up in flames as part of protests that swept the country on Friday night
Police officers and protesters have been repeatedly clashing in Surabaya, East Java (pictured) with officers firing tear gas at crowds which have retaliated with wooden clubs
In Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city, protesters stormed the regional police headquarters after destroying fences and torching vehicles.
A small battle broke out between police and crowds as security forces fired tear gas and used water cannons and demonstrators fought back with fireworks and wooden clubs.
Foreign embassies in Jakarta, including the US, Australia and Southeast Asian countries, have advised their citizens in Indonesia to avoid demonstration areas or large public gatherings.
The chaos appeared to have calmed down by Saturday as authorities cleaned up burned-out cars, police offices and bus shelters that were set ablaze by angry protesters.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto canceled his planned visit to China next week, citing escalating nationwide protests.
'This decision was taken with great caution while maintaining good relations with the Chinese government,' said Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi in a statement, adding that Subianto has conveyed his apology to Beijing.
Subianto was among several heads of state and government invited by Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend the Victory Day Parade in Beijing on September 3.
Protests in several regions have escalated into riots, with buildings and public facilities set on fire and even police headquarters attacked, National Police Chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo told a news conference Saturday evening.
'Such situations can no longer be considered freedom of expression, but rather criminal acts,' he said, adding that the police and the military 'would immediately act to restore public order.'
In Surabaya, East Java, demonstrators set fire to the governor's official residence (pictured)
Emergency workers firing water cannons during a clash between police and protesters in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia
Five days of protests began in Jakarta on Monday, sparked by reports that all 580 lawmakers receive a monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah ($3,075) in addition to their salaries. The allowance, introduced last year, is almost 10 times the Jakarta minimum wage.
Critics argue the new allowance is not only excessive but also insensitive at a time when most people are grappling with soaring living costs and taxes and rising unemployment.
The protests grew wider and more violent following the death of 21-year-old ride-hailing driver Affan Kurniawan.
A video on social media apparently showing him being run over by a police tactical vehicle during a rally in the capital Jakarta on Thursday shocked the nation and spurred an outcry against the security forces.
Kurniawan was reportedly completing a food delivery order when he was caught in the clash. Witnesses told local television that the armored car from the National Police's Mobile Brigade unit suddenly sped through the crowd of demonstrators and hit Kurniawan, causing him to fall. Instead of stopping, the car ran over him.
On Saturday, hundreds of ride-hailing drivers and students in Bali staged a solidarity demonstration over Kurniawan's death in a rare protest on the tourist island. They called for police reform and the release of those arrested during the protests.
Police clashing with mobs in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia where protests have broken out following the death of a taxi driver
On Saturday morning police officers began clearing up burnt out cars left behind by the mobs after nationwide protests
Protesters marched to Bali's regional police headquarters and riot police fired rounds of tear gas at them to push back those who tried to reach the heavily guarded compound. Protesters responded by throwing rocks, bottles and flares.
Clashes between riot police and protesters erupted in multiple cities across Indonesia on Friday, including in Medan, Solo, Yogyakarta, Magelang, Malang, Bengkulu, Pekanbaru and Manokwari in easternmost Papua region.
Some 950 people were arrested in rallies in Jakarta alone by Thursday, according to the National Commission on Human Rights, or Komnas HAM.
On Friday hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the headquarters of the elite Mobile Brigade Corp (Brimob), the paramilitary police unit they blamed for the death of Kurniawan.
They threw firecrackers and other weapons and were met with tear gas by police.
Authorities said about 25 officers were hospitalized with serious injuries after being attacked by protesters in Jakarta. The Komnas HAM believed that the number of injured people on the community side is much bigger.
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