Protests erupt in Indonesia over privileges for parliament members and ‘corrupt elites’

A man attempts to throw a tear gas canister back toward riot police during a protest over parliamentary housing allowances outside the Indonesian parliament in Jakarta. Photograph: Willy Kurniawan/Reuters

Riot police have fired water cannon and rounds of teargas at thousands of stone-throwing protesters in Indonesia’s capital as anger over the lavish allowances of parliament members has fuelled public anger.

Thousands of students, workers and activists demonstrated outside the nation’s parliament on Monday against a monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah ($US3,075) for MPs, which is almost 10 times the Jakarta minimum wage.