Fears Grew of a Surge in Coronavirus Cases from Protests against New Jobs Law
Fears grew of a surge in coronavirus cases from the protests, which were held against a polarising new jobs law passed earlier this week as infection rates are rising in many areas.
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AP/AFP
·3 minutes read
AFP/JUNI KRISWANTO
Activists gather during a nationwide strike against a controversial new law which critics fear will favour investors at the expense of labour rights and the environment, in Surabaya on October 8, 2020.
JAKARTA, Oct 9 -- Fears grew of a surge in coronavirus cases from the protests, which are being held as infection rates are rising in many areas. Indonesia\'s confirmed deaths rose Thursday to 11,580, the highest number in Southeast Asia.
National COVID-19 task force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito expressed concern about “potential spreaders” in the crowds of protesters across the country, especially in Jakarta, the center of Indonesia’s outbreak.
“We remind you that we are still in a pandemic condition, there is a public health emergency,” he said as images showed demonstrators in close proximity, many without masks and ignoring social distancing.
The government reported Thursday that the total number of confirmed cases nationwide has risen to 320,564, including 11,580 deaths. Cases in Jakarta alone stood at 83,372 with 1,834 deaths. Experts believe the true figures are much higher, however, but hidden by a lack of testing.
AFP/OLAGONDRONK
Police arrest a protester following clashes during a nationwide strike against a new law which critics fear favours investors at the expense of labour rights and the environment, in Palu on October 8, 2020.
Jakarta police spokesman Yusri Yunus said around 1,000 protesters had been tested since being detained by Thursday. Some "34 of them are reactive for Covid-19", he said, adding they would be isolated and tested again.
Police had banned the protests on the grounds it could spread the coronavirus.
Across the archipelago
Thousands of protesters set fire to barricades and police posts in the Indonesian capital Thursday as opposition mounted to a controversial new investment law critics say will harm labour rights and the environment. Police fired tear gas at the protesters from several high schools and universities as they tried to approach the palace compound, turning roads into a smoke-filled battleground. The protesters fought back, hurling rocks and bottles.
Similar clashes occurred in large cities all over the country, including Yogyakarta, Medan, Makassar, Manado and Bandung, the capital of West Java province, where police arrested 209 people during two days of violent protests.
Organizers have called for a three-day national strike starting Tuesday demanding that the government revoke the legislation. Labour activists and green groups have slammed the legislation, however, with Amnesty International saying it is "catastrophic" for workers.
AFP/WAHYUDI
People stand next to an overturned police car during a nationwide strike against a new law which critics fear favours investors at the expense of labour right and the environment in Pekanbaru on October 8, 2020.
Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy, is eagerly courting foreign investors as key drivers of economic growth in a nation where nearly half the population of 270 million is younger than 30.
Nearly 13,000 police deployed Thursday to block access to government buildings in central Jakarta failed to stop protesters from making their way to the heart of the capital.
Workers and students also clashed with police in Makassar, Medan, Malang and Yogyakarta. "We want the law to be cancelled," Muhammad Sidharta told AFP in Bandung, West Java, adding the regulation "hurts Indonesian people, not only workers like me".
AP PHOTO/TATAN SYUFLANA
A police officer fires a projectile during a rally against a controversial bill on job creation in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020. Thousands of enraged students and workers staged rallies across Indonesia on Thursday in opposition to the new law they say will cripple labor rights and harm the environment.
Although enforcement is sometimes patchy, Indonesia has tough labour laws -- particularly involving foreign companies.
Edi, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name, said he joined protests in Makassar on Sulawesi island because the law affected him as a worker. "Earlier, we already had regulations on minimum wage but still many companies did not comply with it," he said.
"The new law scraps the regulations on that and companies will determine wages arbitrarily."
Indonesians also expressed their anger online, with hackers blocking access to parliament\'s website and changing its name to "Council of Traitors". They also created an account on the Indonesia e-commerce platform Tokopedia and put parliament "on sale" for a pittance, according to media reports.
