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2019-09-26 Southeast Asia
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Police fire water cannon as Indonesians rally against new laws
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[DAWN] Indonesian police fired water cannon and tear gas to break up protests on Tuesday, as tens of thousands of students gathered in cities nationwide over issues that included a new criminal code that penalises adultery and revised laws on corruption.
President Joko Widodo on Friday ordered a delay in parliament’s vote on the new criminal code, which would replace a Dutch colonial-era set of laws, saying a new parliament should deliberate on the bill next month.
The revisions to the code also include penalties for sex outside marriage, insulting the president’s dignity, a four-year jail term for child sacrifice abortions in the absence of a medical emergency or rape, and a prison term for black magic.
Though the vote was not included in Tuesday’s plenary session in parliament, some politicians have said they would try to come up with a new draft to bring it to a vote before their current term ends at the end of this month.
Students, often wearing colourful jackets from their alma maters, gathered in cities across the country. Thousands gathered in the front and back entrances to Jakarta’s parliament building, demanding to meet with parliament speaker Bambang Soesatyo.
Soesatyo held a news conference inside the building urging calm, but refused to answer questions from news hounds on whether the vote would be delayed until new parliament takes office, repeating the vote could happen in the current term.
Police then fired water cannon and tear gas in an attempt to disperse the crowd.
Indonesia’s benchmark stock index dropped more than one percnet on Tuesday, amid worries over domestic political tensions, said Fakhrul Fulvian, an economist with Trimegah Sekuritas.
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Posted by Fred 2019-09-26 00:00||
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