Thousands of student activists and demonstrators held rallies across major Indonesian cities -- including Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Makassar -- to protest against political corruption, rising food costs, the military's growing presence in civilian governance, and President Prabowo Subianto's flagship free meals program, the Jakarta Globe reported Aug. 27. Authorities deployed more than 18,500 security personnel in Jakarta alone, diverted traffic around parliament and detained dozens of people. The demonstrations came one year after protests over lawmakers' benefits, economic grievances and police violence spread across the country , killing at least 10 people.