Indonesia deployed hundreds of security personnel across Jakarta on Wednesday as University of Indonesia students prepared to protest President Prabowo Subianto’s policies and the government’s handling of severe forest fires in Sumatra and Borneo.
Students said they planned demonstrations at several locations in the capital under the hashtag #IndonesiaAware, calling on the government to declare the ongoing wildfires a national disaster and reconsider spending on major populist programmes, including President Prabowo’s free meals scheme. The number of protesters expected to participate was not immediately clear.
A heavy police and military presence, including armoured vehicles, was visible in central Jakarta ahead of the demonstrations. Authorities have been preparing for possible disruptions as student groups and civil society organisations have intensified criticism of the government’s response to the environmental crisis.
The protests come after demonstrations in several Indonesian cities over the past week. Students in Banjarmasin, Pontianak and Samarinda have demanded stronger action against the fires, while more than 500 protesters gathered in Palangkaraya last week to call for a national emergency declaration and greater accountability.
Indonesia is experiencing its most severe forest-fire crisis in years, with prolonged dry conditions, extreme heat and El Niño contributing to widespread fires and hazardous haze. The Health Ministry has reported more than 333,470 cases of acute respiratory illness across seven affected provinces since mid-August.
Although fire hotspots have recently declined, authorities remain on high alert. Indonesia has deployed more than 69,000 firefighting personnel and around 50 aircraft, while officials warn that uneven rainfall and continuing dry conditions could trigger new fires or reignite existing ones.
The environmental crisis has also affected neighbouring countries, with haze reaching Singapore and Malaysia and raising concerns over regional air quality. The protests have therefore placed both environmental management and government spending priorities at the centre of growing public criticism.
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The latest demonstrations also follow protests earlier this month marking two years of the Prabowo administration, when students and civil society groups raised concerns over forest fires, the cost of living, corruption, civil liberties, education and healthcare.
