A riot calling for Indonesia's parliament to be dissolved rages on, with at least one protester killed and 600 others arrested in Jakarta this week.
The protest was sparked by recent reports that the 580 members of the House of Representatives had been receiving a housing allowance of 50 million rupiah ($4,739) per month, about 20 times the monthly minimum wage in poor areas.
Anger over the entitlements has been exacerbated by the tough police response to the protesters and the death of 21-year-old motorcycle taxi driver Affan Kurniawan.
The protester died in hospital after being run over by an armoured police vehicle.
Footage of the incident has been circulating on social media, fuelling anger at the government among young Indonesians.
In a press conference last night, police said they had arrested seven police officers related to the incident and apologised.
"There must be strict legal sanctions for whatever the violation is," police spokesperson Asep Edi Suheri said.
Water cannons, tear gas fired at protesters
House of Representatives' Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad said the housing allowance was for MPs to rent a property in Jakarta after the government discontinued its house program.
But protesters view it as unjust due to the economic hardship faced by citizens.
Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) reported that police had used physical violence while arresting protesters, on top of using water cannons and tear gas to move crowds in front of the parliament building.
In a statement on its website, YLBHI urged the National Police to investigate officers over the death of the driver, alleged use of brutality, and obstructing legal aid.
They also urged external police oversight bodies to monitor future public protests and report back to the public regularly.
The organisation also accused the Indonesian police of dealing with the protesters in a repressive way by "deploying special operations police", deputy chairperson for research Arif Maulana said.
"Their job is to handle extraordinary crimes like terrorism, hence occupied with firearms," he said.
"They were deployed even before the protesters did anything. That is wrong ... in their head, the protesters were criminals and should be arrested."
Senior Commissioner Ade Ary from the Jakarta local police said they regretted "the anarchic actions of an unknown group" on the ground.
He accused protesters of burning flags, damaging the parliament building fence, vandalising CCTV cameras and defacing busway dividers.
"This endangers motorists and disrupts public order," he said.
On Tuesday, his office said they had detained 351 protesters for "damaging public facilities".
"Students were urged not to be easily provoked by calls on social media to participate in risky activities, and those spreading such calls were urged to desist," the police said in a statement on social media.
"This response demonstrates the National Police's commitment to maintaining public order while providing special protection for children involved."
Protesters 'vulnerable people'
The news that a protester had died brought Social Justice Indonesia group founder Satya Azyumar to tears.
"The protesters who experienced physical violence and got run over were those who love the country," he told the ABC.
"They hit the road because they wanted their children, wife, husband, relatives to have a bright future, but they always get painful treatment in return."
Mr Azyumar said young Indonesians are facing economic issues and finding it hard to secure jobs, especially those living outside of Jakarta.
The Indonesian Trade Union Confederation (KSPI) also joined the protest, demanding the end of outsourcing labour taxes reform and protecting workers from mass lay-offs.
Mr Maulana from the legal aid foundation said the protesters, who were mostly teenagers, were supposed to be "protected".
"They are vulnerable people. They should be protected instead of being faced with [apparatus wearing] intimidating uniforms and weapons," he said.
"But instead they were chased, hit, and had their heads shaved."
Local media reported that 171 students from Bogor, Depok, and Tangerang cities who were allegedly on their way to Jakarta to participate in the Thursday protest were arrested.
Police who checked their devices said the students had decided to join the action after seeing the protest flyers on social media and school groups.
A story template has been circulated on Instagram with the title "RIP Indonesia's Democracy" following the protests.
Mr Maulana said what happened in the protest reminded him of what happened in the New Order Era, "where critical people who open their mouths are seen as enemies".
"This illustrates the setback of Indonesia's democracy," he said.
"The civil freedom that is further repressed with people giving their voice dubbed as criminals, being tortured, and being arrested arbitrarily."
