Demonstrators Briefly Burn Rubbish on Salemba Road, Central Jakarta, Situation Now Under Control

Traffic on Jalan Salemba Raya in Central Jakarta was gridlocked on Friday (12/6/2026) evening due to a demonstration near the Paseban Transjakarta bus stop. Congestion was observed from 9.10 pm Western Indonesian Time as the crowd narrowed the roadway opposite the bus stop, leaving only the far-right lane open for vehicles. The Transjakarta lane was also opened to general traffic.

Protesters unfurled a banner reading ‘Revolusi NKRI Harga Mati. BBM, Dolar Naik. Kembalikan TNI ke Barak. Hentikan MBG’ (National Revolution at All Costs. Fuel and Dollar Rising. Return the Military to Barracks. Stop MBG). While occupying two of the three lanes, the crowd also set fire to objects in the middle of the road. Joint military and police personnel at the scene attempted to extinguish the flames while urging the demonstrators to allow vehicles to pass.

The effort to put out the fire led to a brief tense standoff, with some pushing and shoving between officers and protesters. Officers used a light fire extinguisher to douse the flames, causing the crowd to scatter and retreat. The thick smoke from the extinguisher produced a pungent odour and reduced visibility. A water cannon truck was then deployed to soak the remaining embers, and the smoke gradually dissipated.

Security personnel cleared the burnt debris from the road as the protesters moved to the roadside. Officers then worked to disperse the traffic backlog, gradually reopening all three lanes. Traffic flow was restored by 9.35 pm Western Indonesian Time.