SURABAYA, June 29 — Indonesian authorities have charged four individuals following an anti-government protest in the country’s second-largest city, a local police official said Sunday.
SURABAYA, June 29 — Indonesian authorities have charged four individuals following an anti-government protest in the country’s second-largest city, a local police official said Sunday.
About 100 people gathered near a government building in Surabaya on Friday, according to AFP journalists, to demonstrate against a fuel price increase and a free school meals programme that has been marred by mass food poisoning cases and corruption allegations.
Surabaya police chief Luthfie Sulistiawan said some protesters threw objects, including firecrackers and stones, prompting police to take “firm action” to disperse the crowd.
Protests have erupted in several Indonesian cities this month after the government raised prices of non-subsidised petrol by about 30 per cent, citing budget pressures amid rising global oil prices driven by tensions in the Middle East.
Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy and an oil producer, remains a net importer with heavily subsidised fuel.
Authorities detained 24 people on Friday, releasing most without charge, Luthfie said on Sunday.
“We have named four people as suspects for property damage and assault on officers,” he said.
He added that six others are still under investigation after testing positive for drugs.
Meanwhile, thousands of students have also taken to the streets in Jakarta to oppose the fuel price hikes and demand an end to a multi-billion-dollar free meal programme promoted by the government to address child malnutrition. Critics say the scheme is costly, plagued by corruption allegations, and linked to mass food poisoning incidents affecting tens of thousands since its launch. — AFP
WASHINGTON, June 29 — The United States and Iran have agreed to halt attacks against each other and will hold talks in Qatar on Tuesday to address their dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, according to US media reports citing senior American officials.
IPOH, June 29 — A woman reported missing in Taiping since June 16 has turned up and filed a police report at the Kajang District Police Headquarters in Selangor, denying claims that she had been abducted.
KUALA LUMPUR, June 28 — Eight people were injured in a three-vehicle crash at Kilometre 94 of the southbound North–South Expressway this morning.