Workers And Students Demonstration, Police Block The Harmony Crossroad To The Palace

JAKARTA - The intersection of the Harmoni area towards the State Palace is blocked by the police using barriers and cars belonging to the police. The partition was carried out to sterilize the State Palace area from the mass of protesters.

Currently, demonstrations held by various elements of workers and students are still taking place in the Patung Kuda area, Gambir, Central Jakarta.

The demonstration resulted in a long traffic jam around the area.

The Head of Traffic for the Central Jakarta Metro Police, Kompol Purwanta, appealed to motorists to avoid the Medan Merdeka Street section. Both Merdeka Barat Street, East, North, and South.

"The appeal is not to pass through Medan Merdeka Street first, because there are demonstrations from several elements. Residents should choose another place", he told VOI when contacted, Thursday, October 28.

Kompol Purwanta said the roadblocks were tentative and situational. Road blocking will be carried out until this afternoon.

"This partition is tentative because many elements of society are demonstrating, from workers and students", he said.

There are also barriers at 4 road points to prevent the increase in mass accumulation at the Horse Statue.

"What is temporarily blocked is the intersection of Harmoni Street, the Patung Kuda area, in front of Pertamina and Veteran Street. Traffic Unit members are also placed at closing points and diverting flows", he said.

The protesters demanded 13 points from the government, one of the main ones being the repeal of the Job Creation Law or the Omnibus Law and all of its derivative Government Regulations, namely PP No. 35, 36, and 37.

The masses also rejected the abolition of sectoral wages and asked for an increase in the 2022 UMK by 15 percent.

Workers also ask for guarantees and protection for workers in the tourism, hotel, plantation, and online transportation sectors.