Student protest ends peacefully as crowd disperses

Students from various universities in Jakarta who staged a protest on Jalan MH Thamrin, Central Jakarta, dispersed in an orderly manner as the demonstration ended peacefully on Friday. The crowd disbanded after discussions with security officers, leaving the protest site around 9 p.m. local time. The student protest began on Friday afternoon, with groups of students wearing different university colours arriving around 2.30 p.m. and attempting to enter the Bundaran HI area. They conducted a long march from the Semanggi area to Dukuh Atas before being held back from entering the Bundaran HI area. The demonstration, which lasted about seven hours, remained largely conducive, although tensions flared briefly on several occasions due to attempts to breach the security cordon. The protest, which continued into the evening, also did not result in significant friction between officers and students, as security personnel accommodated and provided space for the demonstrators. After the students dispersed, security officers immediately cleared the demonstration site of bystanders and online motorcycle taxi drivers who had parked their vehicles along the roadside.