Indonesia: 6 dead amid protests and tightened security measures.

Arab Sea Newspaper - Special

Arab Sea - Follow-ups: Indonesian authorities tightened security measures on Monday after six people were killed in unrest sparked by economic hardship that escalated into clashes with police. The protests, which began last week over financial perks allocated to officials, forced President Prabowo Subianto to cancel some of them. The protests began peacefully last Monday and spread to major cities in Indonesia, including the capital. The protests came after a video circulated showing a police vehicle hitting a motorcycle taxi in Jakarta and running over its young driver during demonstrations organized to protest low wages and allowances for officials. The protests have spread to major cities in the archipelago, including Yogyakarta, Bandung, Semarang, and Surabaya in Java, and Medan in North Sumatra province. More demonstrations were planned across the archipelago on Monday. Police set up checkpoints across the capital Jakarta, and a police spokesman told Kompas TV that officers were also patrolling the city "to protect" citizens and give them a sense of security. Police deployed armored vehicles and motorcycles in front of parliament on Sunday evening in a show of force and an attempt to warn protesters. The crisis forced Prabowo to cancel a planned trip to China this week to attend a military parade commemorating the end of World War II. Defense Minister Sjafruddin Shamsuddin warned on Sunday that the army and police would take "firm action" against "rioters and looters" after the finance minister's house was looted. At least three people died after a fire set by protesters on Friday in a government building in the city of Makassar (east). Another person was killed in Makassar on Friday after being beaten by crowds who suspected him of being an intelligence agent, according to Muhammad Fadli Taher, an official at the local disaster agency, Agence France-Presse reported on Sunday. In Yogyakarta, Amikom Yogyakarta University confirmed the death of its student, Reza Sindi Pratama, during the protests, but the circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear.