Indonesian President Prabowo’s free meals programme hit by extra mass sickness as protests towards authorities rock nation.
Printed On 3 Sep 2025
An investigation has been launched after some 400 kids turned ailing after consuming free college meals in Indonesia’s western Bengkulu province, within the worst case of mass meals poisoning linked to President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship meals programme to assist pregnant ladies and kids.
The reviews of mass sickness on Wednesday got here as President Prabowo arrived in Beijing, China, for occasions commemorating the tip of World Struggle II, and days after widespread antigovernment protests rocked cities and cities throughout Indonesia.
Authorities will launch an investigation into the reason for the sickness, Bengkulu Province ‘s Vice Governor Mian stated.
“We are going to briefly droop operations at this kitchen whereas we examine the place the weaknesses lie,” stated Mian, who goes by a single identify.
“That is the area of the BGN [National Nutrition Agency] investigation crew and the authorities,” he stated.
Dadan Hindayana, chief of the Nationwide Diet Company, which runs the programme, instructed the Reuters information company the kitchen in query had solely lately began working, asking workers to judge companies whereas ready for outcomes of assessments on the meals.
Since its launch, Prabowo’s free college meals programme has been quickly expanded to achieve greater than 20 million recipients, and authorities plan to achieve 83 million recipients by year-end, budgeting a complete price of 171 trillion rupiah ($10.52bn) for the programme this 12 months.
The president launched the programme in January, however the initiative had already been marred by meals poisoning that affected a whole bunch of individuals.
Final month, 365 folks fell ailing from free college meals in Central Java. In keeping with native media reviews, laboratory outcomes indicated that the outbreak was a results of poor sanitation.
Within the newest mass sickness in Bengkulu, kids aged from about 4 to 12 had been rushed to an area hospital complaining of abdomen ache starting final Thursday, in line with a video handout from the native authorities.
On Wednesday, Prabowo was seen attending a army parade hosted by Chinese language President Xi Jinping in Beijing, to mark 80 years since Japan’s defeat on the finish of World Struggle II, in line with China’s CCTV.
Regardless of the continued avenue protests at residence over his authorities’s dealing with of the economic system, Prabowo determined he would journey to China, after briefly reconsidering his journey amid the mass unrest.
The Jakarta Submit reported on Wednesday that some 10 folks at the moment are thought to have died in protests over the weekend, with 20 folks lacking and 500 injured, in line with reviews from civic organisations and officers.
In Geneva on Monday, the United Nations known as for investigations into the alleged use of disproportionate pressure by Indonesia’s safety forces towards demonstrators.
“We’re following intently the spate of violence in Indonesia within the context of nationwide protests over parliamentary allowances, austerity measures, and alleged use of pointless or disproportionate pressure by safety forces,” UN human rights workplace spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani stated.
“We stress the significance of dialogue to deal with the general public’s considerations,” she stated in an announcement.