Police, student protesters clash in Indonesia

Thousands of students on Wednesday turned out in Jakarta for a second day to protest a new law that weakens the authority of the top anti-corruption agency in Indonesia. They also oppose a draft penal code that would criminalize adultery and unmarried couples’ cohabiting, as well as slap jail time on people who insult the president. Indonesia is ranked 89th out of 175 countries in Transparency International’s 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index.

How did authorities respond? State media said 18,000 police officers were deployed to guard the Parliament building in Jakarta. Riot police shot multiple rounds of tear gas at the protesters, who threw rocks and burned tires and toll gates in the city. Authorities also used tear gas to control similar protests in Java and on the islands of Sumatra and Sulawesi. President Joko Widodo responded to the outrage last week by urging lawmakers to delay voting on the penal code.

Dig deeper: Read my analysis on how this year’s election triggered protests.