The Latest: Police chief says 6 reported dead in Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The Latest on post-election protests in Indonesia (all times local):

Indonesian police say based on reports from hospitals six people have died in rioting in Jakarta a day after the presidential election results were announced.

Police chief Tito Karnavian told a news conference authorities are still investigating the causes of death and are not ruling out the involvement of third parties acting as provocateurs.

He said the information police obtained showed victims were hit by gunshots or blunt devices. Karnavian said, "This is what we have to make clear, where and why."

Supporters of former special forces general Prabowo Subianto clashed with security forces in Jakarta on Wednesday, burning vehicles and throwing rocks at police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Police have said the rioting was planned rather than spontaneous. Subianto has refused to concede defeat to President Joko Widodo in the April 17 election. He instead declared himself the winner and plans a court challenge.

Indonesia's top security minister says authorities will block access to social media in certain areas amid violent protests in the capital Jakarta by supporters of the losing presidential candidate.

Wiranto, who uses a single name, didn't specify which areas would be subject to the restrictions in the televised news conference.

Supporters of Prabowo Subianto, who was defeated by President Joko Widodo in the April 17 election, clashed with security forces in Jakarta on Wednesday, burning vehicles and throwing rocks at police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Police have said the rioting was planned rather than a spontaneous outburst. The official election results were announced on Tuesday and Subianto, a former general, has refused to concede defeat, instead declaring himself the winner and planning a court challenge.

Supporters of an unsuccessful presidential candidate clashed with security forces and set fire to a police dormitory in the Indonesian capital after the release of official election results.

National Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said protests turned violent late Tuesday and continued during the night. He said Wednesday that dozens of people were detained.

KompasTV showed protesters throwing rocks, a paramilitary police dormitory on fire, and hundreds of riot police in a central neighborhood of the city.

Indonesia's Election Commission on Tuesday said President Joko Widodo had won a second term with 55.5% of the vote in the April 17 election. His opponent, former general Prabowo Subianto, has refused to accept the results and declared himself the winner. </s> JAKARTA, Indonesia — The Latest on post-election protests in Indonesia (all times local):

Indonesia’s top security minister says authorities will block access to social media in certain areas amid violent protests in the capital Jakarta by supporters of the losing presidential candidate.

Wiranto, who uses a single name, didn’t specify which areas would be subject to the restrictions in the televised news conference.

Supporters of Prabowo Subianto, who was defeated by President Joko Widodo in the April 17 election, clashed with security forces in Jakarta on Wednesday, burning vehicles and throwing rocks at police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Police have said the rioting was planned rather than a spontaneous outburst. The official election results were announced on Tuesday and Subianto, a former general, has refused to concede defeat, instead declaring himself the winner and planning a court challenge.

Supporters of an unsuccessful presidential candidate clashed with security forces and set fire to a police dormitory in the Indonesian capital after the release of official election results.

National Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said protests turned violent late Tuesday and continued during the night. He said Wednesday that dozens of people were detained.

KompasTV showed protesters throwing rocks, a paramilitary police dormitory on fire, and hundreds of riot police in a central neighbourhood of the city.

Indonesia’s Election Commission on Tuesday said President Joko Widodo had won a second term with 55.5% of the vote in the April 17 election. His opponent, former general Prabowo Subianto, has refused to accept the results and declared himself the winner. </s> JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The Latest on post-election protests in Indonesia (all times local):

Indonesia's top security minister says authorities will block access to social media in certain areas amid violent protests in the capital Jakarta by supporters of the losing presidential candidate.

Wiranto, who uses a single name, didn't specify which areas would be subject to the restrictions in the televised news conference.

Supporters of Prabowo Subianto, who was defeated by President Joko Widodo in the April 17 election, clashed with security forces in Jakarta on Wednesday, burning vehicles and throwing rocks at police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Police have said the rioting was planned rather than a spontaneous outburst. The official election results were announced on Tuesday and Subianto, a former general, has refused to concede defeat, instead declaring himself the winner and planning a court challenge.

Supporters of an unsuccessful presidential candidate clashed with security forces and set fire to a police dormitory in the Indonesian capital after the release of official election results.

National Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said protests turned violent late Tuesday and continued during the night. He said Wednesday that dozens of people were detained.

KompasTV showed protesters throwing rocks, a paramilitary police dormitory on fire, and hundreds of riot police in a central neighborhood of the city.

Indonesia's Election Commission on Tuesday said President Joko Widodo had won a second term with 55.5% of the vote in the April 17 election. His opponent, former general Prabowo Subianto, has refused to accept the results and declared himself the winner. </s> The Latest on post-election protests in Indonesia (all times local):

Indonesia's top security minister says authorities will block access to social media in certain areas amid violent protests in the capital Jakarta by supporters of the losing presidential candidate.

Wiranto, who uses a single name, didn't specify which areas would be subject to the restrictions in the televised news conference.

Supporters of Prabowo Subianto, who was defeated by President Joko Widodo in the April 17 election, clashed with security forces in Jakarta on Wednesday, burning vehicles and throwing rocks at police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Police have said the rioting was planned rather than a spontaneous outburst. The official election results were announced on Tuesday and Subianto, a former general, has refused to concede defeat, instead declaring himself the winner and planning a court challenge.

Supporters of an unsuccessful presidential candidate clashed with security forces and set fire to a police dormitory in the Indonesian capital after the release of official election results.

National Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said protests turned violent late Tuesday and continued during the night. He said Wednesday that dozens of people were detained.

KompasTV showed protesters throwing rocks, a paramilitary police dormitory on fire, and hundreds of riot police in a central neighborhood of the city.

Indonesia's Election Commission on Tuesday said President Joko Widodo had won a second term with 55.5% of the vote in the April 17 election. His opponent, former general Prabowo Subianto, has refused to accept the results and declared himself the winner. </s> Vehicles set alight in Jakarta after supporters of losing candidate take to the streets

This article is more than 3 months old

This article is more than 3 months old

Six people died and more than 200 were injured in the Indonesian capital Jakarta after protesters clashed with security forces and set fire to a police dormitory and vehicles, officials have said.

Protests by supporters of an unsuccessful presidential candidate that had ended peacefully on Tuesday afternoon resumed and turned violent late on Tuesday and continued through the night, said the national police spokesman, Dedi Prasetyo. Police said they had arrested 20 “provocateurs”.

Several thousand demonstrators gathered to protest the results , in an area that was in a total security lockdown. Central Jakarta, usually bustling and full of traffic was eerily quiet by the evening.

Behind reams of barbed wire that separated protesters from a heavy military and police presence, some demonstrators held flowers and signs highlighting the deaths of rioters earlier today.

The Jakarta governor, Anies Baswedan, said hospitals were conducting postmortems to determine the causes of the deaths.

Authorities were still investigating and were not willing to rule out the involvement of “third-party provocateurs”, said another police official.

Jakarta has been on edge in recent days amid simmering tensions in the aftermath of April’s presidential election. Official results on Tuesday confirmed the incumbent, President Joko Widodo, had won a second term with 55.5% of the vote.

His opponent, the fiery ex-special forces commander Prabowo Subianto, has refused to accept the result, alleging the poll was marred by widespread fraud – a claim his team has yet to produce compelling evidence to support.

Indonesian troops on alert as Widodo wins more than half of votes Read more

Indonesia’s security minister, Wiranto, said authorities would restrict access to social media in certain areas to prevent the spread of fake news.

In a press conference this afternoon, Prabowo Subianto denounced the clashes and urged his supporters to protest peacefully.

“We are peaceful, not treasonous,” said Rusli, a 46-year-old Jakarta resident, and Prabowo supporter who attended the rally, “The voting data has been manipulated and our the rights of our voices has been diminished. We want justice.”

Indonesia’s Kompas TV showed protesters throwing rocks, a paramilitary police dormitory on fire, and hundreds of riot police in a central Jakarta neighbourhood. One man reportedly died after sustaining a gunshot wound in the melee, according to Tirto.id, an Indonesian news website.

Prasetyo said police were checking on reports of casualties, but stressed that security officers on the ground, which include military personnel, were not equipped with live bullets.

A police spokesman said police used teargas and water cannon against protesters who threw rocks, molotov cocktails and burning projectiles.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Cars burned by protesters in Jakarta. Photograph: Bay Ismoyo/AFP/Getty Images

The opposition said on Tuesday it would contest the result in court, a repeat move of Prabowo’s unsuccessful bid for president in 2014.

In recent weeks, key figures in the Prabowo camp have called for “people power” as a response to the electoral outcome, with at least two associated figures facing treason charges as a result.

More than 30,000 troops have been deployed to secure the Indonesian capital ahead of a planned protest, with some government offices and schools closed as a precaution.

A major commuter train station in the area was shut temporarily, and roads blocked off in parts of the sprawling city. Some shopping malls, businesses and schools were also closed.

Tensions have been exacerbated by a string of recent arrests of terrorist suspects, who police say had planned to create chaos by bombing the post-election protests.

Police on Tuesday arrested a former general for allegedly smuggling weapons to the protest, and authorities confiscated molotov cocktails from one minibus of Prabowo supporters travelling to the capital from Java.

As of Wednesday morning, protesters had started to gather outside the building of the elections supervisory agency. </s> JAKARTA, Indonesia — Supporters of an unsuccessful presidential candidate clashed with security forces and set fire to a police dormitory and vehicles in the Indonesian capital on Wednesday after the release of official election results.

National Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said protests turned violent late Tuesday and continued through the night. He said Wednesday that dozens of people were detained.

KompasTV showed protesters throwing rocks, a paramilitary police dormitory on fire, and hundreds of riot police in a central neighborhood of the city.

Indonesia's Election Commission on Tuesday said President Joko Widodo had won a second term with 55.5% of the vote in the April 17 election.

His opponent, former general Prabowo Subianto, has refused to accept the results and declared himself the winner. His campaign plans to challenge the election in the Constitutional Court. They allege massive fraud but have provided no credible evidence.

Jakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono said police used tear gas and water cannon against protesters who threw rocks, molotov cocktails and burning projectiles. </s> JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Supporters of an unsuccessful presidential candidate clashed with security forces and set fire to a police dormitory and vehicles in the Indonesian capital on Wednesday after the release of official election results.

National Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said protests turned violent late Tuesday and continued through the night. He said Wednesday that dozens of people were detained.

KompasTV showed protesters throwing rocks, a paramilitary police dormitory on fire, and hundreds of riot police in a central neighborhood of the city.

Indonesia’s Election Commission on Tuesday said President Joko Widodo had won a second term with 55.5% of the vote in the April 17 election.

His opponent, former general Prabowo Subianto, has refused to accept the results and declared himself the winner. His campaign plans to challenge the election in the Constitutional Court. They allege massive fraud but have provided no credible evidence.

Jakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono said police used tear gas and water cannon against protesters who threw rocks, molotov cocktails and burning projectiles. </s> JAKARTA, Indonesia — Supporters of an unsuccessful presidential candidate clashed with security forces and set fire to a police dormitory and vehicles in the Indonesian capital on Wednesday after the release of official election results.

The situation turned violent late Tuesday when protesters tried to force their way into the offices of the election supervisory agency and clashes continued through the night, National Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said. More than 20 suspected provocateurs were arrested, he said Wednesday.

KompasTV showed protesters throwing rocks, a paramilitary police dormitory on fire, and hundreds of riot police in a central neighborhood.

Indonesia’s Election Commission on Tuesday said President Joko Widodo had won a second term with 55.5% of the vote in the April 17 election.

Former special forces general Prabowo Subianto has refused to accept the results and declared himself the winner. His campaign plans to challenge the election in the Constitutional Court. They allege massive fraud but have provided no credible evidence.

Jakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono said police used tear gas and water cannon against protesters who threw rocks, molotov cocktails and burning projectiles.

The government had deployed some 50,000 police and soldiers in Jakarta in anticipation of protests, said Yuwono. Many residents have left the city and parts of the downtown are closed to traffic with the election supervisory agency and election commission barricaded with razor wire.

In the past week, authorities have arrested three pro-Subianto activists on suspicion of treason, said Prasetyo, including a retired general and former commander of Indonesia’s special forces. Police allege there was a plot to seize crucial government buildings in Jakarta. </s> At least six people are dead and more than 200 are injured after protests turned violent following the announcement of Indonesia’s official presidential election results, according to the governor of Jakarta.

Supporters of the main opposition candidate Prabowo Subainto clashed with security forces and set fire to a police dormitory and vehicles in the capital, the reports. Prabowo, a former general, lost the election to incumbent President Joko Widodo, commonly known as Jokowi, but he has refuted the results since quick count results showed that Jokowi won the April election.

Prabowo said Tuesday that he will challenge the election results in the country’s courts.

Read More: Social Media Gets a Bad Rap in Elections, But Activists In Indonesia Are Using It to Boost Transparency

Dedi Prasetyo, a National Police spokesman, said protests turned violent late Tuesday and that police arrested 20 “provocateurs,” reports the . He stressed that police did not have live bullets. The city’s police spokesman said tear gas and water cannons were being used against protestors attacking with weapons such as rocks and molotov cocktails, according to the .

The reports that more than 30,000 troops have been deployed to Jakarta, and several governments offices, schools, shopping centers and businesses have been closed as a precautionary measure.

The country’s security minister says that social media will be blocked in parts of the country due to the protests, but he did not specify which locations would be affected by the restrictions, according to the Associated Press.

Protestors had started gathering outside the election commission building as of Wednesday morning, according to the .
Six people die and more than 200 are injured in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, after protesters of the announced results of the presidential election clash with security forces and set fire to a police dormitory and vehicles.