Clashes erupt as thousands protest Indonesia legal-reforms

Riot police fired tear gas at stone-throwing protesters as fresh protests erupted across Indonesia Monday, sparked by a raft of divisive legal reforms including banning pre-marital sex and weakening the anti-graft agency.

At least two students have died and hundreds more were injured as unrest swept across the Southeast Asian archipelago, just weeks before President Joko Widodo kicks off a second term as head of the world's third-biggest democracy.

In the capital Jakarta, some 26,000 police and soldiers were deployed while large crowds -- including placard-carrying students and factory workers -- chanted for change near parliament, which was barricaded with barbed wire.

Military vehicles rumbled along the streets as some students -- with toothpaste smeared beneath their eyes to protect against tear gas -- hurled projectiles. Many rallies, however, were peaceful.

The demonstrations have been fuelled by a proposed bill that includes dozens of legal changes -- from criminalising ...