SINGAPORE – Amid deadly protests across Indonesia, Singaporeans holidaying and living in Indonesia who spoke to The Straits Times said it was almost “business as usual” on the ground, despite initial worries.

A demonstration in Central Jakarta on Aug 28 over a 50 million rupiah (S$3,900) monthly housing allowance for lawmakers sharply escalated after delivery rider Affan Kurniawan, 21, was killed when

he was run over by a police tactical vehicle

during a protest.

At least six people have been reported killed

and 20 people missing .

Singaporeans in Indonesia told ST that while they were initially worried about the conflict, the situation felt back to normal on the ground, after Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto said on Aug 31 that he would revoke policies which had been the source of discontent among the public , and that security forces had been ordered to

take “stern action” against unlawful acts

.

In Bali , Ms Syairah , who wants to be known only by one name, said she felt worried after her friends had expressed concern for her safety upon learning that she was in Bali.

“In a span of 15 minutes, I received three texts from my friends asking me to stay safe due to the protests,” said the 26-year-old barista, who had travelled to the resort island on Aug 29 to celebrate her birthday.

According to Al Jazeera , hundreds of protestors had gathered in front of the police headquarters in Denpasar, Bali , on Aug 30 and 31, with photos online showing protestors clashing with the police.

But Ms Syairah said the areas she visited in Bali were calm, with no signs of any protests. People were strolling on the streets of Kuta, Seminyak and Canggu as usual, she said, which assuaged her worries. She will continue her holiday until Sept 2, as planned.

Over on Java island, Mr Nicholas Wu , who resides in Tangerang with his wife and two children aged 8 and 10 , said he had never been so scared in his 12 years living in Indonesia, due to how quickly the protests escalated.

“(When the protestors) started looting the lawmakers’ houses, it was worrying because I’ve never seen that happen before. It was scary because your neighbour could be a lawmaker,” he said.

The 43-year-old said he avoided protest areas, and stayed home with his family over the weekend. The private school his children go to have moved lessons online since Sept 1 , and the arrangement is likely to last the week, said Mr Wu.

But Mr Wu said the situation has largely calmed down after Mr Prabowo’s Aug 31 address.

“I’m currently in the office and I don’t see any problems. On the ground, it’s as good as back to normal,” said Mr Wu, who owns logistics firm Aman Logisti c.

Mr Nicholas Wu resides in Tangerang with his wife and two children.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF NICHOLAS WU

According to AFP ,

police checkpoints were set up

across Jakarta on Sept 1, with officers and the military conducting citywide patrols. Snipers were also deployed at key locations. Several protest groups had called off planned demonstrations due to fears of heightened security measures.

Mr Joel Chang , a Singaporean who has been staying in Jakarta for the past three years with his wife and 4-year-old son , said he was also initially concerned for his family when the protests worsened.

He said that while the demonstrations were relatively peaceful during the day, they appeared to become more violent at night, with the use of teargas by the police and fireworks by the protestors.

“From our home, we could hear the fireworks,” said Mr Chang.

Mr Joel Chang resides in Jakarta with his wife and 4-year-old son.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF JOEL CHANG

Despite his proximity to the protest areas, the co-founder of electric vehicle manufacturer Charged Asia said he was not too worried after it became clear to him that the protests were targeted towards the government, and not the public.

“It was very clear that the protests weren’t directed at foreigners, so we weren’t afraid,” said Mr Chang.

He added that the protests calmed after Mr Prabowo said on Aug 31 he would revoke policies including the size of allowances for House members.

Besides the controversial monthly housing allowance, a new allowances package had also granted lawmakers benefits like 12 million rupiah for food, and 7 million rupiah for transport, on top of a base salary of 6.5 million rupiah .

“(Mr Prabowo’s speech) really helped a lot because the protesters felt they could be heard. They just want their elected officials to respond to their concerns,” said Mr Chang.

Protesters in Bandung, in Indonesia’s West Java province, on Sept 1.

PHOTO: REUTERS

Amidst the initial panic when the conflict broke out, Mr Wu and Mr Chang said it was reassuring that the Singapore Embassy in Jakarta had put out notifications on its social media pages about the unrest.

“The embassy put out notifications about areas to avoid and encouraged all Singaporeans there to register with them. That’s what we needed as Singaporeans abroad – we needed our embassies, our consulates to be there to support us,” said Mr Chang.

“I think that was quite comforting as a Singaporean. That gave me mental support,” said Mr Wu.

In a Facebook post on Aug 30, the embassy urged Singaporeans in or travelling to Indonesia to register with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at

https://eregister.mfa.gov.sg

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