Anti-government protests in Indonesia, which have been raging for a week, are turning violent.
The protest, which began with a small gathering of people outside the parliament building on August 25, has been turning violent over the past week.
The Guardian, an online newspaper published in the UK, has reported that at least 10 people have been killed and hundreds injured so far.
Angry protesters vandalized and set fire to government buildings, with damage estimated at nearly $3.3 million, according to the Guardian.
The protests, which began in the capital Jakarta, have spread to other major cities and are becoming nationwide.
Violent clashes have broken out in major cities including Gorontalo and Makassar on the island of Sulawesi, Bandung and Yogyakarta on the island of Java, Palembang on the island of Sumatra, and Banjarmasin on the island of Borneo.
In Jakarta, protesters set fire to the building that houses the police headquarters. They threw stones at the police.
President Prabowo Subianto has said he faces a major political challenge less than a year after taking office.
How did the protest turn violent?
According to the Guardian, the protests began on August 25.
At that time, the government decided to provide MPs with a housing allowance of 3,000 US dollars per person.
Three thousand dollars is 10 times the salary of a member of parliament in Indonesia.
At that time, there was growing anger that the government was increasing the services and facilities of parliamentarians by cutting basic services provided to the people, including education and health.
Student groups like Gejayan Memangil protested against it in front of the parliament building in Jakarta. At the time, the protests were peaceful.
A special paramilitary police unit drove an armored vehicle into a crowd of protesters last Thursday night during a peaceful demonstration.
A 21-year-old man was crushed to death by an armored vehicle. The young man worked as a food delivery man. The peaceful protest turned violent after a video went public showing the armored vehicle backing up and crushing the young man to death.
Protesters then began setting fire to government buildings and police headquarters across the country, leading to violent clashes in major cities.
Three people died when protesters set fire to a government building in the city of Makassar, while another man was beaten to death by a mob in the same city over suspicions of being an intelligence officer.
A student died in clashes between police and protesters in User.
A 60-year-old rickshaw driver with asthma died after being hit by tear gas fired by police in the city of Solo.
The Guardian reported that during the protests, the house of Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati was looted, and the houses of some other MPs were also vandalized.
According to officials, more than 1,240 protesters were arrested after five days of demonstrations in Jakarta alone.
As the protests became more violent, President Prabowo decided to withdraw the housing allowances given to lawmakers.
He has canceled a visit to China and ordered security forces to take the strongest possible action against protesters.
“Illegal activities are taking place, which could lead to sedition and terrorism. I have instructed the police and the army to take strict action against those who vandalize and loot public property, in accordance with the law,” he said.
An investigation is underway into the seven police officers involved in the incident of a driver who was run over and killed by an army vehicle, and they have also pledged to provide financial assistance to the victim’s family.
The international community is closely monitoring developments in Indonesia.
The United Nations has called for an investigation into allegations of excessive force used in the protests.
Countries including the US, Australia, France, and Canada have issued travel warnings for their citizens, asking them to stay away from areas where protests are taking place.
