Indonesians rally for better social security

JAKARTA: Thousands of Indonesians demanded better social security for workers as they held a peaceful Labour Day rally in Jakarta on Sunday amid a heavy police presence.

Protesters gathered at the capital's main roundabout before marching to the State Palace shouting "labourers unite, we shall not be defeated" and "the country is rich but the people are poor".

Demonstrators carried a coffin covered with a black cloth bearing the slogan "The death of justice", demanding lifelong health insurance and a pension fund.

"There is no social justice for Indonesians without social security," a committee representing more than 60 labour unions said in a statement.

Some 10,000 security personnel had been deployed, the police said.