Indonesian police nab thousands protesting new law, Antara says

[KUALA LUMPUR] Indonesia's police detained thousands of protesters against the newly passed omnibus law, according to state news agency Antara, amid concern the gatherings could worsen the virus outbreak.

Students and workers held strikes and demonstrations across the country this week to reject the new law aimed at cutting red tape to boost investments, saying the bill would erode labour rights and environmental protection.

President Joko Widodo defended the bill, saying the protests were fuelled by "disinformation".

Of the 3,862 people detained, 145 tested positive for the coronavirus, Antara reported, citing police spokesman Argo Yuwono.

The world's fourth-most populous country is still struggling to contain the pandemic, adding more than 4,000 cases daily, with a record of 4,850 on Thursday. The total number of confirmed infections has tripled from the end of July to more than 320,000 and there have been 11,677 deaths.

The virus's spread could be aided by poor understanding of the disease, with 17 out of 100 Indonesians saying it's unlikely they would catch the virus, according to a September survey by the statistics bureau.

BLOOMBERG