Protests escalate in Indonesia, prompting Prabowo to cancel a planned trip to China; parliament buildings are set ablaze.

Indonesia: Protests, Arson Attacks, and Cancellation of President's China Trip

Indonesia has been witnessing a wave of protests this week, with demonstrations spreading across various provinces. The unrest began in Jakarta over lawmakers' pay and worsened after a police vehicle hit and killed a motorcycle rider.

The protests have led to a series of unfortunate events. In Makassar, South Sulawesi province, an arson attack on a parliament building resulted in three fatalities and two injuries. Local media outlet metrotvnews.com reported one further death from a fire at the Makassar parliamentary building.

Protests also occurred on the holiday island of Bali, where teargas was used against protesters. In Pekalongan city, Central Java, and Cirebon city, West Java, protesters caused fires at regional parliament buildings. Parliamentary office equipment was looted in Cirebon.

The Indonesian President, Prabowo Subianto, cancelled a planned trip to China due to the ongoing protests in Indonesia. He was due to attend a "Victory Day" parade in China on September 3. Prabowo apologized to the Chinese government for not being able to attend the invitation. Another reason for the trip cancellation was the United Nations General Assembly session in September.

The presidential spokesperson, Prasetyo Hadi, stated that Prabowo wants to continue monitoring the situation in Indonesia and seek the best solutions.

The protests have also sparked controversy among lawmakers. Ahmad Sahroni, a lawmaker from the political party NasDem, faced accusations of responding insensitively to people calling for parliament to be dissolved amid anger over lawmakers' allowances. Sahroni labeled such critics "the stupidest people in the world."

The government has taken steps to address the spread of disinformation online, which it claims has spurred the protests. Jakarta summoned representatives of social media platforms, including Meta Platforms Inc and TikTok, and asked them to boost content moderation. TikTok, a short-video app owned by China's ByteDance, suspended its live feature in Indonesia for a few days.

However, the provided search results do not contain information about which opposition parties in Indonesia actively participated in the protests against President Prabowo Subianto's government.

This situation in Indonesia continues to evolve, and it is crucial for all parties involved to exercise restraint and seek peaceful resolutions to the issues at hand.

Protests escalate in Indonesia, prompting Prabowo to cancel a planned trip to China; parliament buildings are set ablaze.