The riots in Indonesia have so far taken eight lives with 700 injured, according to Reuters.

The situation is chaotic and evolving differently in separate locations. It seems there’s a pause in the Jakarta protests; this follows intervention by Prabowo Subianto in a televised speech on Sunday night from the safety of the Palace.

Here was a chance for the president to take to the streets and show he’s the fearless toughie he portrays, and listen to the mobs. His predecessor President Jokowi in 2015 took PM Malcolm Turnbull on _blusukan_ – public walkabouts, though that was in a time of peace.

Hard glass bottles — essential for Molotov cocktails — are now hard to find as plastic has taken over, so the rioters have little ammunition against tear gas and water cannon.

Prabowo warned that the riots were leading to makar (treason, subversion, rebellion and terrorism.) Using these ill-defined terms is adding to the fear. Unproven stories of business people and lawmakers fleeing to Singapore and Hong Kong are flooding social media.

“The right to gather peacefully must be respected and protected,” he said. “But we cannot deny that symptoms have begun to appear that there are actions outside of the law, even against the law.”

He said he’d given orders to Polri (National Police) and the TNI (Indonesian Military) to take “appropriate action against all forms of destruction of public facilities, the looting of individual homes, or public places, or economic centres”, and then added “in accordance with prevailing laws.”

Jakarta, Indonesia. Aug, 2025. Protesters throw stones at the House of Representatives building during the chaos in Jakarta, Indonesia. The protesters, consisting of students and members of the public, opposed the policies of Indonesian parliamentarians, which they considered detrimental to the people. (Credit Image: © Claudio Pramana/ZUMA Press Wire) Contributor: ZUMA Press, Inc. Image ID:3CG08T4

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