Officials said 20 bus stops were destroyed during yesterday's job creation protests in Jakarta, with Governor Anies Baswedan anticipating a massive repair bill to restore the facilities.
Protesters shattered and blew up the TransJakarta bus stops yesterday afternoon and in the evening, including bus stops at Central Jakarta's Indonesia Roundabout Hotel (Bundaran HI), Sentral Senen, and Tosari.
"A total of 20 bus stops have been destroyed. We predict the damage cost IDR55 billion ( US$ 3.7 million), "Anies said while inspecting the Indonesia Roundabout hotel bus stop this morning.
Other public facilities that were particularly damaged during the protests include the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), the police outposts, and the abandoned cinema, which was also set on fire.
Hundreds were arrested yesterday as protests against the controversial new law escalated into violence across Indonesia, with police quick to claim that they were targeting anarchists who took advantage of the tensions to sow unrest.
On the other side of the coin, rights activists have decried and demanded accountability from the police for what they have described as brutality against the protesters. Some victims of excessive police forces say rights groups, include students and journalists.
