Written by Sylvie Tanaga, and published as a part of Mekong Review — Volume 11 Issue 41. Nov 01, 2025
Affan Kurniawan, a twenty-one-year-old motorcycle taxi rider, was working in Jakarta when he was struck by an armoured vehicle belonging to the Mobile Brigade Corps, an elite unit of the Indonesian National Police. The vehicle, weighing several tons, didn’t even try to avoid him; footage that circulated online shows how it pressed forward, mercilessly crushing Affan. He was rushed to hospital, but little could be done.
Affan was killed on 28 August 2025, a Thursday. Mass demonstrations had already been raging in Jakarta for three days. The protests had erupted in response to plans for a staggering increase in allowances for parliamentarians, at a time when many Indonesians are struggling to survive an economic crisis marked by mass layoffs. Public anger was further inflamed after several legislators derided those calling for the dissolution of Parliament; Ahmad Sahroni from the National Democratic Party scornfully described protesters as “the most foolish people on earth”.
Read the full article here.
Affan Kurniawan, a twenty-one-year-old motorcycle taxi rider, was working in Jakarta when he was struck by an armoured vehicle belonging to the Mobile Brigade Corps, an elite unit of the Indonesian National Police. The vehicle, weighing several tons, didn’t even try to avoid him; footage that circulated online shows how it pressed forward, mercilessly crushing Affan. He was rushed to hospital, but little could be done.
Affan was killed on 28 August 2025, a Thursday. Mass demonstrations had already been raging in Jakarta for three days. The protests had erupted in response to plans for a staggering increase in allowances for parliamentarians, at a time when many Indonesians are struggling to survive an economic crisis marked by mass layoffs. Public anger was further inflamed after several legislators derided those calling for the dissolution of Parliament; Ahmad Sahroni from the National Democratic Party scornfully described protesters as “the most foolish people on earth”.
Read the full article here.
Mekong Review / Meniirtjakarintan
