Merauke Residents Protest Over Internet Outage
Thousands of residents staged a protest at the PT Telkom Merauke office in Merauke Regency, South Papua, on Thursday, August 21, 2025. The demonstration, which involved civilians, students, and online motorcycle taxi drivers, was held to protest the loss of internet access in Merauke.
The protesters began gathering at the Libra Monument area at 8:00 a.m. local time before marching on foot to the PT Telkom Merauke office. At the office, the crowd delivered speeches while burning tires in front of the premises.
Tensions escalated when police officers fired tear gas at the demonstrators. Several officers also beat some of the protesters, sparking anger among the crowd. In response, the demonstrators hurled bottles, wooden sticks, and stones at the police. The incident left five online motorcycle taxi drivers and one student injured.
Warga Merauke Protes karena Jaringan Internet Hilang
Ribuan warga melakukan aksi protes di Plaza Telkom, Kabupaten Merauke, Papua Selatan pada Kamis, 21 Agustus 2025. Aksi yang melibatkan warga sipil, mahasiswa, dan pengemudi ojek online itu memprotes hilangnya akses internet di Merauke.
Para peserta aksi berkumpul di kawasan Tugu Libra sejak pukul 08.00 WIT. Selanjutnya mereka berjalan kaki menuju kantor PT Telkom Merauke. Di kantor Telkom, massa menyampaikan orasi sambil membakar ban di depan area kantor.
Situasi mulai memanas ketika aparat kepolisian menembakkan gas air mata ke arah para demonstran. Selain itu, sejumlah aparat kepolisian juga memukul peserta aksi. Hal tersebut menyebabkan para peserta aksi marah dan membalas perbuatan tersebut dengan melemparkan botol, kayu, dan batu ke arah polisi. Dari peristiwa itu lima pengemudi ojek online dan satu mahasiswa terluka.
