Three Indonesian government workers died on Friday after trying to escape from a regional Parliament building that demonstrators had set on fire, an official said, as protests spread across the country in a rebuke of President Prabowo Subianto and his policies.
The workers died from their injuries after jumping from the third floor of the building, in the city of Makassar, to evade the flames, said M. Fadli Tahar, the acting head of the Makassar Regional Disaster Management Agency. Additionally, he said, a bystander taking pictures who was mistaken for an intelligence agent and attacked by the crowd later died of his injuries.
Dozens of cars and motorcycles have been damaged in the nationwide protests. Photographs and videos posted on social media by the All-Indonesia Students’ Union showed buses and motorcycles set on fire.
Protesters were demonstrating again on Saturday in Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital, and in several other cities around the country. In response to the unrest, TikTok announced it would temporarily suspend its livestreaming feature in Indonesia.
The protests started in Jakarta on Monday but quickly spread, reaching even cities like Makassar, hundreds of miles to the east. The demonstrations have become a formidable test for Mr. Prabowo, who took office in October to lead the nation of 284 million people.
The protesters have called for an end to housing allowances for lawmakers in Mr. Prabowo’s government, which they see as lavish in the middle of Indonesia’s economic troubles. Consumer prices are rising quickly, and the unemployment rate is on track to be the highest in Southeast Asia this year, the International Monetary Fund has warned.
The demonstrators have also objected to Mr. Prabowo’s background, which they fear could undermine Indonesia’s democracy and civil rights. Mr. Prabowo, a former general, was discharged from the military in 1998 for his involvement in the abduction and torture of pro-democracy activists under the rule of the dictator Suharto, who was his father-in-law.
To some Indonesians, their fears were realized on Thursday night when a police vehicle trying to disperse protesters in Jakarta struck and killed Affan Kurniawan, 21, a motorcycle taxi driver who was his family’s breadwinner. The police response to demonstrations in several other cities also grew violent, with officers in riot gear firing tear gas at protesters.
Mr. Kurniawan’s death and other examples of police violence this past week have reminded many Indonesians of their nation’s painful history. The country emerged from Suharto’s dictatorship less than 30 years ago.
Officials have ordered an investigation into Mr. Kurniawan’s death, and Mr. Prabowo visited his family on Friday and offered support, according to Ahmad Riza Patria, a government minister.
Prasetyo Hadi, a spokesman for the president, said that Mr. Prabowo had canceled a planned trip to China, where he had been invited to view a military parade next week, in order to monitor the political situation at home.
Muktita Suhartono reports on Thailand and Indonesia. She is based in Bangkok.
Francesca Regalado is a Times reporter covering breaking news.
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