News Story

Hundreds of Indonesian students demonstrated in Jakarta on Friday to demand the government correct its course as the Southeast Asian country grapples with worsening economic conditions.

AFP journalists estimated a crowd of around 2,000 people gathered at the capital's cental Bundaran HI roundabout.

The students from universities across Greater Jakarta wearing their respective campus jackets protested budget waste and a steep rise in non-subsidised fuel prices.

They brandished banners proclaiming "Indonesia bankrupt" and "honk your horn if you're tired of being an Indonesian".

Thousands of police officers including anti-riot forces were deployed around the city.

The protesters demand the government halt its multi-billion dollar free school meals scheme, widely criticised for being wasteful and causing mass food poisoning.

"I think the government just doesn't dare to admit that we're in a difficult situation," protester Muhammad Nur Asla Junior told AFP.

"Just admit there is a crisis, admit that our country is currently in difficulty, and put forward policies that can genuinely help or remedy what is happening right now," the 20-year-old student said.

The protest was briefly marred by shoving between students and riot police, who had prevented some from entering a security ring around the government palace.

Indonesia's currency has plummeted to successive record lows, dropping below 18,100 to the dollar this week.

The stock market has lost about a third of its value this year, one of the worst performances globally.

Year-to-year inflation stood at 3.08 percent in May, and 1.35 percent year-to-date.

The country's central bank has set an inflation target of 2.5 percent for this year and 2027, with a deviation of one percentage point either way.