"I have asked for an extraordinary rank promotion for the officers since they have served in the field to defend the nation, defend the people," he said after visiting several victims injured in the protests at Polri Hospital in Jakarta on Monday.
He noted that 43 people injured in the protests received treatment at Polri Hospital. Of the total, only 17 people, comprising 14 police officers and three civilians, are still hospitalized.
Some of them suffered serious injuries, such as severe head and kidney injuries.
According to Prabowo, several civilians have become victims during demonstrations in several regions, including a woman who suffered a broken bone and lost her motorcycle to a robber.
In addition, he continued, there are civil servants in South Sulawesi who became victims despite having no involvement in political activities or demonstrations.
President Prabowo underlined that police officers have carried out their duty of maintaining security and order, emphasizing that police are mandated to protect people during demonstrations.
However, he assessed that several demonstrations have been infiltrated by those who wanted to damage public facilities, set regional and national parliament buildings on fire, and injure officers.
In addition to a rank promotion, the president also asked for the provision of other awards to the victims, such as educational opportunities, and full support for their families.
Protests have earlier escalated across multiple Indonesian regions, following the death of online motorcycle taxi driver Affan Kurniawan, who was run over by a police vehicle during a protest near the Parliament Complex, Jakarta, on Thursday (August 28).
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Translator: Fathur R, Mentari D, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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