Careful when you are in Indonesia
Wisma Putra advises Malaysians to stay away from protesters unhappy over election results. >4 & 37
PETALING JAYA: With Indonesia bracing for more violence following deadly riots by protestors opposing President Joko Widodo’s re-election, Malaysians have been advised to avoid places where such mass gatherings are likely to be held.
Wisma Putra said so far, no Malaysians were reported to be involved or directly affected by the demonstrations.
“Malaysians in Indonesia are advised to stay away from areas where protestors congregate, keep up with the latest developments and follow instructions by the local authorities,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement yesterday.
At least six people have died and 117 were injured in riots which broke out in Jakarta following a rally yesterday.
This came after Indonesia’s General Election Commission officially confirmed the re-election of the incumbent president – popularly known as Jokowi – while his rival Prabowo Subianto of Gerindra Party had refused to accept the results.
Wisma Putra said the situation in central Jakarta was still under control although the area was on high alert.
“The Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta has reported that there is a possibility of more major demonstrations in the near future in front of the offices of the General Election Commission and the Election Supervisory Board, in central Jakarta as well as other cities throughout Indonesia,” it said.
The embassy had identified the hot spots in Jakarta as Tanah Abang, Thamrin, Sabang and Menteng.
“Continue to get the latest information from verified local news sources,” it said in a statement on its Twitter account.
The tweet includes the photo of a May 18 consular notice by the embassy, which provides further advice to Malaysians in light of the violence.
“As usual, Malaysians who plan to visit any other foreign country are advised to obtain travel insurance suited to their respective needs,” the consular notice read.
Malaysians planning to visit Indonesia are asked to register with the embassy at the following online link: goo.gl/ixYVfy
Those who need emergency consular assistance in Indonesia can call the embassy at +62215224947 or +6281380813036 or email mwjakarta@kln.gov.my. Those who wish to keep updated on the latest announcements by the embassy can follow it on social media – Facebook (@EmbassyMalaysiaJakarta) and Twitter (@MYEmbJKT).
JAKARTA: Demonstrations over the outcome of last month’s presidential election gripped the heart of Indonesia’s capital after an overnight face-off between police and protesters in which, according to Jakarta’s governor, six people were killed.
The protests followed an announcement before dawn on Tuesday by the election commission confirming that President Joko Widodo, or Jokowi as he is known, had beaten his challenger, former general Prabowo Subianto, in the April 17 poll.
Crowds swelled in central Jakarta yesterday morning and police said they expected more protesters to join them before nightfall. Some of those arriving carried wooden poles and some had smeared toothpaste around their eyes, apparently to protect themselves from tear gas.
The majority of the protesters appeared to have come from outside Jakarta and police found envelopes containing money on some of the people they searched, National Police spokesman Muhamad Iqbal told a news conference.
“This is not a spontaneous incident, this is something by design. There are indications that the mobs are paid and bent on causing chaos,” he said.
Hundreds of students also protested peacefully in the city of Medan, in the north of the island of Sumatra, demanding an investigation into alleged election cheating, TVOne reported.
The General Election Commission (KPU) on Tuesday confirmed unofficial counts by private pollsters that gave Jokowi a 55.5% share of votes against 44.5% Prabowo.
Jokowi won more than 85 million votes of 154 million cast in the world’s third-largest democracy, but retired general Prabowo has alleged “massive cheating and irregularities”.
Prabowo’s legal director has said his campaign plans to contest the result in the Constitutional Court. Prabowo also launched a legal challenge after he was defeated in the 2014 election by Jokowi, which was rejected.
On Monday, an election supervisory agency dismissed claims of systematic cheating, citing a lack of evidence. Independent observers have said the poll was free and fair.
Analysts have said Jokowi’s double-digit margin of victory means the opposition does not have a strong case to claim the election was rigged, but Islamist supporters of Prabowo could cause considerable disruption.
Islamist groups, many of which support Prabowo, have in the past been able to mobilise hundreds of thousands of supporters.
From late 2016, they organised a series of protests against then-Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, the first ethnic-Chinese Christian to hold the job, who was subsequently jailed for insulting the Quran.
Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko said he believed there was “a systematic effort by a certain group ... that is riding on the situation to muddy the situation”, adding that authorities had seized two pistols from people involved in riots. “We know who is behind this, it is a matter of time.”
Protests that began calmly in the sprawling textile market neighbourhood of Tanah Abang on Tuesday turned violent after nightfall, with police firing tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan told TVOne that by the morning, six people had died and 200 people had been wounded.
News website Tirto reported a man died of bullet wounds in Tanah Abang, quoting a doctor at a hospital near the site.
Fadli Zon, deputy chairman of Gerindra, Prabowo’s political party, accused police of initiating an attack on protesters and said he found 171 bullets, including live rounds, when he visited the area yesterday morning.
“The public have a right to demonstrate. They are people who are concerned by cheating. They are not mobilised, paid or facilitated,” Zon said.
Prabowo campaign spokesman Dahnil Azar Simanjuntak called on “all sides to hold back and not commit violence”.
Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said that security forces on the ground, including military personnel, were not armed with live bullets.
Indonesian authorities say 40,000 police and army personnel are on duty across Jakarta to maintain security.
Television footage showed smoke billowing from behind dozens of protesters in the streets of Tanah Abang yesterday, with some throwing firecrackers and tearing down public fences.
Many office buildings, businesses and embassies in downtown Jakarta were closed, as were train stations in the area.
Hundreds of police in riot gear blocked the usually busy Sarinah intersection to hold back a crowd they said was expected to swell further in the afternoon.
Chief security minister Wiranto said the government would temporarily block certain social media functions to prevent inflammatory hoaxes and fake news.
Australia, the United States, and Britain issued travel alerts warning of an increased risk of violence across Indonesia and advising citizens to stay away from protests.