Thousands march on Indonesia's parliament in Jakarta over anti-corruption demands

Thousands of people marched on Indonesia's parliament in Jakarta on Thursday to demand tougher action against corruption and the passage of a stalled asset-seizure bill. The protest took place outside the legislature in the capital and remained largely contained behind locked gates for much of the day. By nightfall, the demonstration had turned more tense after some protesters threw objects at police.

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Police responded with tear gas and a water cannon after dark, according to the supporting report. A police post and a motorcycle were set alight during the unrest, and several people were carried away on stretchers. Jakarta police said they had deployed 18,500 officers and detained 65 people before the march on suspicion of being provocateurs.

Chief Security Minister Djamari Chaniago said the deployment was not intended to restrict the right to free expression. The protest was held on the anniversary of last year's anti-government rallies, which escalated into riots that left about 10 people dead and nearly 7,000 arrested. That timing gave the demonstration added political weight and linked it to a wider public memory of unrest.

Students also marched in Yogyakarta and Makassar, showing that the issue was not confined to the capital. The Jakarta rally also drew around 200 students from several universities, who pressed for changes beyond corruption policy. At the centre of the protest was a bill first introduced in 2008 that would allow the state to seize assets linked to corruption.

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Protesters also called for harsher punishment for corrupt officials, with some demanding the death penalty. Others urged parliament to scrap a free school meal programme that has faced corruption allegations and repeated food poisoning incidents, and called for an end to what they described as the militarisation of Indonesian society and for lower food prices. These demands point to a broader frustration with governance, public spending and accountability.

Some lawmakers met representatives of the United Pati Community Alliance outside parliament and promised to resign if the bill is not passed by 15 December, according to the group's leader, Sopriyano. The presence of that delegation suggests the protest was being used not only to express anger, but also to press for a concrete legislative timetable. The issue of asset seizure has been under discussion for years, and the fact that it remains stalled has become a focal point for anti-corruption campaigners.

The wider response from authorities, including the large police deployment, indicates that officials were treating the rally as a potential security risk as well as a political challenge. What remains unclear is whether parliament will move on the bill or whether the protest movement will sustain pressure in the coming weeks. It is also not yet clear how many people were injured or detained during the evening clashes, beyond the reported use of stretchers and the pre-march detentions.

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