"Cooking oil" demonstrations ignited in Indonesia, and the police used water cannons to put them out
Indonesian police on Monday fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse hundreds of university students who demonstrated against rising cooking oil prices and the extension of President Joko Widodo's term in office.
A witness told "Reuters" that crowds of protesters were seen fleeing from the gathering place in front of Parliament in the capital, Jakarta, while the private Indonesian "Kompass" TV said that stones were thrown at the parliament complex, while there were no immediate reports of violence or injuries.
The move is one of several protests across Indonesia on Monday, including in South Sulawesi, West Java and Jakarta, where hundreds of students wearing reflective lighting jackets marched toward parliament to complain about rising commodity costs and the possibility of President Widodo overstaying his two terms.
University students have been at the forefront of efforts to protect Indonesia's democratic gains after they took to the streets in 1998 during massive protests that helped oust former President Suharto.
The idea of allowing the president to remain in power for more than two five-year terms has raised concern about the threat to that country's hard-won democratic reforms.
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