ISTANBUL 

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Tuesday left for China to attend a military parade in Beijing on Wednesday, local broadcaster Kompas TV reported.

Indonesian State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said in a statement that the plane carrying Prabowo took off from Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in Jakarta at around 8.00 pm local time (1300GMT).

He added that Prabowo will attend the celebrations in Beijing on Wednesday marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, where at least 26 foreign leaders will attend the event.

On Saturday, Prabowo had cancelled his scheduled trip to China on Saturday due to ongoing protest across Indonesia.

Calm is slowly returning to Indonesia’s capital Jakarta amid heightened security following a week of violent protests over lawmakers’ perks, which escalated following the killing of an online rider by an armored police vehicle, local media reported on Tuesday.

The protests began last week in response to controversial increases in benefits for members of parliament. Tensions escalated sharply on Thursday when the driver was killed, triggering widespread rioting, looting, and attacks on public infrastructure.

At least 10 people were killed in the unrest, which saw angry crowds torching government buildings in Jakarta and other major cities, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) reported on Tuesday.