Indonesian rebels searched, sabotaged and robbed the homes of lawmakers and the country's Finance Minister on August 31, a week after daily protests began to rise against government policies and police actions.
The protests have so far killed at least five people and injured hundreds. This is considered the worst crisis in Indonesia since President Prabowo Subianto took office nearly a year ago.
The protests were initially fueled by outrage over unemployment and rising inflation, but they escalated into violence against police after a technology motorbike taxi driver was killed in a protest on August 28.
The death of a technology motorbike taxi driver sparked a wave of violent protests that swept across several cities in Indonesia. Police wearing anti-riot clothes fired pepper spray at protests in the capital, while protests set fire to cars and police stations.
Early on August 31, hundreds of people stormed into the house of Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani in the city of Nam Tangerang. Witnessnesses said that the crowd stormed into the house and took away many valuable items. Sri Mulyani was not at home when the strikers agitated to rush in.
This is one of many robberies that increased over the weekend in Indonesia. On August 30, demonstrators broke into the house of Ahmad Sahroni, a senior member of the National Democratic Party in Jakarta, broke into his car and took his designer handbag, watch, TV, exercise equipment and even a bathroom. Previously, lawmaker Ahmad Sahroni said that those calling for the dissolvement of parliament were "the simplest fools in the world", calling the protests hooliganism.
Indonesia, a country with a population of 284 million, used to be one of the most stable economies in Southeast Asia. However, recently, the country has been hit by increasingly serious price escalation and unemployment.
One of the motivations of this protest was the decision to give lawmakers a monthly housing subsidy, nearly 10 times the minimum wage that a worker could earn in the capital Jakarta.
On August 30, President Prabowo Subianto canceled his plan to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in China. The Indonesian leader may also not attend the United Nations General Assembly in September.
