"The number of dead victims is seven. This is based on reports that we have received, while nine police officers suffered injuries," Inspector General Muhammad Iqbal, spokesman of the National Police, said here on Thursday.
Chief of the Indonesian Police, General Tito Karnavian, has appointed Commissioner General Moechgiyarto, inspector of the Police General Supervision, to lead the investigation team.
The team will work to determine the cause of the deaths and investigate all aspects of the clashes with demonstrators.
He said police officers did not bring live bullets when securing the protest, but were armed with shields, batons, and helmets. They were also supported by water cannons and tear gas.
The Police procedure in dealing with demonstrators prioritizes persuasion, human approaches and displaying police symbols, he said.
He noted that the Police response is always proportional between how large a threat is and the strength of the police forces in dealing with a large demonstration.
Meanwhile, Governor of Jakarta Anies Baswedan said on Thursday that the death count of demonstrators climbed to eight, while 737 were injured.
Also, some 300 people were arrested by Police during the two-days of clashes.
Translator: Syaiful Hakim, Fardah
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
