Thousands of protesters gathered outside Indonesia's parliament building in Jakarta on Thursday, demanding stronger anti-corruption measures including harsher punishments for corrupt officials and the passage of long-delayed legislation. Riot police deployed in force, holding crowds behind the legislature's locked gates throughout much of the day. After nightfall, tensions escalated as some protesters threw objects at officers, who responded with tear gas and water cannon fire. A police post and a motorcycle were set alight, and several people were carried away on stretchers.

The date of the demonstrations was deliberately chosen: it marks exactly one year since anti-government protests turned into riots in which approximately 10 people were killed and nearly 7,000 arrested. Organisers were keen to distinguish this gathering from those events. "We chose August 27 to commemorate because last year there were riots and various other incidents. And today we want to convey our aspirations, not cause riots," a student representative told reporters. Parallel marches were held in Yogyakarta and Makassar, two major cities outside the capital.

At the heart of the protesters' demands is a bill — first introduced before parliament in 2008 but never passed — that would grant the state powers to seize assets linked to corruption. Some demonstrators went further, calling for the death penalty for corrupt officials. In a significant gesture, a number of lawmakers met with representatives of the United Pati Community Alliance outside parliament and reportedly promised to resign if the bill is not passed by December 15. Around 200 university students also urged the government to scrap a free school meals programme that has been dogged by corruption allegations and repeated food poisoning incidents, while calling for an end to what they described as the "militarisation" of Indonesian society and for lower food prices.

Jakarta police deployed 18,500 officers and detained 65 people ahead of the march on suspicion of acting as provocateurs. Chief Security Minister Djamari Chaniago insisted the heavy deployment was not intended to suppress free expression. "We will escort them so that their aspirations can be conveyed properly," he said.

The protests reflect deep and persistent public frustration with corruption in Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country and Southeast Asia's largest economy. The calls to revive the asset-seizure bill after nearly two decades of inaction underscore a widespread sense that existing legal tools are insufficient to deter officials from abusing their positions — and that meaningful accountability remains elusive.