Calm returned to the streets of the Indonesian capital on Thursday after a second night of clashes between security forces and protesters angry about the outcome of last month
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Calm returned to the streets of the Indonesian capital on Thursday after a second night of clashes between security forces and protesters angry about the outcome of last month’s election, which handed President Joko Widodo a second term.
Downtown areas of the capital became a battlefield with tear gas, rubber bullets, rocks and firecrackers overnight. Protesters tore up slabs of pavement, destroyed street signs and set fire to food stalls and a security post.
The unrest followed an early Tuesday announcement by the General Election Commission confirming that Widodo had beaten his challenger, former general Prabowo Subianto, in the April 17 poll.
The violence began on Tuesday night when six people were killed. Two more were killed on Wednesday night, officials said.
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said the dead included three teenagers, and 737 people were injured in the rioting, which was concentrated in the central neighborhood of Tanah Abang. State news agency Antara reported that three hospitals had treated more than 350 people for injuries.
But the ranks of the protesters thinned out over Wednesday night and police spokesman Dedi Praseyto said the last ones had dispersed by 7 a.m. (0000 GMT).
Roads that were quiet on Wednesday as office workers stayed away from the city center, were abuzz with traffic again on Thursday.
