Petasan dan Semburan Air dari Water Cannon Terjadi di Depan DPR Saat Aksi Menolak UU TNI

A protest against the revision of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) Law and the Indonesian National Police (Polri) Law outside the People’s Consultative Assembly (DPR/MPR/DPD) building has ended with some clashes. Here is a summary of the events:

-Dispersal Efforts by Police:

• The protest, held by a group calling themselves the Civil Society Coalition, began to disperse around 6:31 PM local time following police instructions to peacefully express their opinions.

• Police used water cannons and sound grenades to disperse the crowd before urging them to leave, employing crowd control vehicles and continued water cannon usage.

-Brief Delay for Iftar:

• Initially hesitant to disband, some protesters mentioned they were breaking their fast and the police momentarily delayed the dispersal. After iftar (breaking the fast meal) ended, the police again requested the protesters to leave.

-Protester Demands and Activities:

• The demonstrators displayed banners rejecting the approval of Law No. 34 of 2004 concerning the TNI and distributed leaflets with similar demands.

• Their demands included criticisms of military involvement in non-military affairs, such as the slogan ‘Besides Civilians, Stay Out!’.

• The protesters chanted emotionally charged poetry and speeches, urging for the military to return to the barracks.

-Parliamentary Approval:

• The protest was in response to the Parliament’s official enactment of amendments to the TNI Law. The decision was made during a plenary session attended by several ministers at the DPR building on Thursday, March 20.

• The session was chaired by the Speaker of the DPR, Puan Maharani, and attended by high-ranking officials including the Minister of Defense and the TNI Commander.

The protest, although tense at times, eventually moved away from the DPR RI building towards the Jakarta Conventions Center flyover under police escort.