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20 missing following deadly protests in Indonesia

At least 20 people remain unaccounted for after violent protests erupted in Indonesia, initially sparked by lavish perks for lawmakers and fueled by growing anger toward the police, a rights group reported Tuesday.

At least six people have been killed since protests rocked Southeast Asia's biggest economy last week, intensified by footage spreading of the killing of a young delivery driver by a paramilitary police unit, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

"As of September 1, there were 23 reports of missing persons. After the search and verification process, 20 missing persons remain unfound," the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS) said in a statement.

The group said the 20 were reported missing in the cities of Bandung and Depok on Java island, and the administrative cities of Central Jakarta, East Jakarta and North Jakarta that make up the wider capital city.

One incident took place in an "unknown location", it said.

The National Police did not immediately respond to an AFP comment request.

Police arrested 1,240 people in protests in Jakarta since August 25, the city's Metropolitan Police Inspector General Asep Edi Suheri told reporters Monday, state news agency Antara reported.

The unrest emerged in cities across the country, forcing President Prabowo Subianto into a U-turn on lawmaker perks.

They were the worst protests since the ex-general took power last year.

More protests were expected on Tuesday at parliament in Jakarta by a coalition of women's groups, who a day earlier cancelled their protest.

The United Nations called on Monday for an investigation into alleged use of disproportionate force in the protests.

"We are following closely the spate of violence in Indonesia in the context of nationwide protests over parliamentary allowances, austerity measures, and alleged use of unnecessary or disproportionate force by security forces," said UN human rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani.



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