M Julnis Firmansyah, Jakarta – Ahead of the mass protest in Jakarta by university students collective on April 21, 12 WhatsApp accounts owned by student movement coordinators under the Indonesian University Students Alliance (AMI) were reportedly hacked days leading to the protest.

"Rumors about the hacking were true," said Melki Sedek Huang, coordinator for the University of Indonesia student executive body (BEM UI) to Tempo on April 21.

BEM UI is a member of AMI that will also participate in the mass protest in Jakarta.

The motive behind the cyber attack is yet to be known but has eventually hampered the coordination attempt among the students movement.

However, plans to fill the streets in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) headquarters and the President's Merdeka Palace have marched on. Melki hoped that the protest would run peacefully without any significant hurdles.

Thursday's mass protest is a continuation of a previous protest on April 11 after students believe the government failed to follow up their initial demands to put an end to the public discourse of an extended presidential term, reducing the prices of cooking oil, and postponing the country's capital city relocation to Kalimantan.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1584424/university-students-movement-faces-cyberattack-ahead-of-mass-protes