Jakarta [Indonesia], August 31: Protests over perks for Indonesian lawmakers escalated into deadly violence, leaving at least three people dead in a fire at a city council building in the eastern city of Makassar, officials said on Saturday.
The unrest, which has spread across the country since the beginning of the week, was triggered by public anger over reports that members of parliament were receiving a monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah ($3,000), more than 10 times the average wage in Indonesia.
Tensions rose further after a 21-year-old motorcycle taxi driver was run over and killed by an armoured police vehicle during a protest in Jakarta on Thursday night. The incident, captured on widely shared videos, has fuelled accusations of excessive force by the security forces.
In Makassar, protesters stormed the local council building late Friday, setting it on fire and killing a district officer, a security guard and an aide to a legislator, said Fadli Tahar, the head of the city's civil protection agency. Fires and clashes were also reported in Jakarta, Surabaya and Bandung. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune