Indonesia's President Joko Widodo will face another week of fighting fires, both figurative and literal, as the world's third largest democracy faces its largest student protests in two decades.

Key points: Many are angry over the weakening of the anti-corruption commission, and civil liberties

Many are angry over the weakening of the anti-corruption commission, and civil liberties Jokowi has called for an investigation into the deaths of two student protesters

Jokowi has called for an investigation into the deaths of two student protesters Several prominent activists have been arrested amid a social media crackdown

Hundreds of high school and university students gathered near the national Parliament in Jakarta on Monday. Police used tear gas to disperse the protesters after sundown.

Thousands of students mobilised in cities across the archipelago last week, mostly with the support of their university administrators, in scenes reminiscent of the 1998 demonstrations, which brought down former dictator Suharto and paved the way for democratisation.

The deaths of two students amid clashes with police in Kendari in South Sulawesi on Thursday have sparked national outrage, leading Mr Widodo and parliamentarians to order an investigation.

While the President was re-elected by a convincing margin in April, and slated controversial changes to the criminal code have been delayed, it looks like his October inauguration will be overshadowed by widespread discontent.

'A tipping point' for Indonesia's leaders

Protests in Jakarta, Makassar and elsewhere grew violent. ( AP )

A range of issues have motivated the protesters, including Parliament's weakening of Indonesia's respected anti-corruption commission, a raft of illiberal changes to the national criminal code, and the Government's failure to prevent peatland fires across Sumatra and Kalimantan.

"Students have resisted the tendency towards conservatism through social media," said Saidiman, a researcher from Saiful Mujani Research & Consulting in Jakarta who goes by one name.

"But this is the first time they've taken it to the streets."

The focus internationally has been on their opposition to the proposed criminalisation of pre-marital sex, including outlawing homosexuality, with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade pre-emptively issuing a travel warning for Australians going to Indonesia.

"There are cultural values that need to be upheld. Therefore we try to protect morality," Nasir Djamil, an MP for the conservative Prosperous Justice Party who supports the changes, recently told the ABC.

But critics say the criminal code reforms — which are wide-ranging and would introduce other new crimes including "insulting the dignity" of the president and vice president — are ill-considered and would have major consequences for basic civil liberties and human rights.

"Everywhere else, people do research before they make policy, not make the policy before they do research," Sekar Aji of the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM) said, as quoted by the ABC last week.

Graffiti on an overturned government car reads: "We are angry." ( AP: Bahauddin Raja Baso )

Tunggal Pawestri, a prominent women's rights activist, said: "The Government and Parliament should see protests as a result of their failure to consult widely enough to address people's views and concerns."

Ahead of another anti-Beijing protest on Sunday, pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong expressed solidarity with their Indonesian counterparts on social media.

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Mirroring months-long rolling protests in Hong Kong, Indonesian demonstrators have issued seven demands.

These include banning military and police personnel from holding civil service roles, ending "militarism" in Papua and other regions, ending the prosecution of activists, and putting human rights violators on trial "including those at the highest levels of government".

"This reveals that wide-ranging frustrations with Parliament and the Jokowi administration have reached something of a tipping point," Dr Jemma Purdey of the Australia-Indonesia Centre told the ABC.

Students protested for days outside Parliament in Jakarta wearing colourful university jackets. ( Reuters: Willy Kurniawan )

Crackdown against activists

Human rights groups were among the grassroots supporters of Mr Widodo's campaign for election in 2014, seeing the former furniture salesman as representing a change in Indonesian politics, which has been long dominated by oligarchs and ex-military figures.

Many had hoped for a reformist president who would tackle stark economic inequality and strengthen democratic institutions.

But Mr Widodo presided over a range of illiberal measures during his first term, amid what some have viewed as a "slow unwinding of democracy in Indonesia."

Joko Widodo has faced criticism over fires in palm oil producing regions of Sumatra and Kalimantan. ( Indonesian Presidential Secretariat: Laily Rachev )

His focus on economic development at all costs has drawn unflattering comparisons to Suharto, who seized power in the wake of anti-communist mass killings in 1965 and ruled Indonesia with an iron fist for 31 years.

"If the Government and Parliament keep pushing their proposals, it's a betrayal of the progress we have made during the last years on rule of law and minority rights," Ms Pawestri told the ABC.

As Mr Widodo insisted on Friday that Indonesians should not question his commitment to democracy, two prominent activists were arrested.

Dandhy Laksono, a filmmaker, was detained by police on Thursday night for tweeting about unrest in the eastern provinces of Papua and West Papua.

Former journalist and musician Ananda Badudu was arrested and later released without charge on Friday, after raising money to support protesters outside Indonesian Parliament.

The arrests come after reports police were pursuing human rights lawyer Veronica Koman, who is hiding in Australia, for allegedly spreading hoaxes and provoking violence in Papua by providing updates via Twitter.

Protesters have rallied against "Reformasi dikorupsi" — corrupted reform ( AP )

Saving the anti-corruption commission

The Corruption Eradication Commission, commonly referred to by its Indonesian abbreviation KPK, was established in 2002 after the fall of Suharto, who was once named by Transparency International as the world's most corrupt leader.

Just last year, the KPK bagged its biggest fish to date, jailing former house speaker Setya Novanto for his role in stealing $170 million of public money.

However its success in targeting prominent political figures, the police and other parts of the bureaucracy has earned it many powerful enemies.

The Anti-Corruption Commission is one of the most respected institutions in Indonesia. ( Change.org )

A law passed in mid-September turned the formerly independent KPK into a government agency and made it virtually impossible to conduct wiretaps. Critics have also taken issue with the appointment of top cops as commissioners, given police have historically been a major target of KPK investigations.

"Corruption remains endemic in Indonesia and the young people protesting on the streets recognise that by undermining the KPK's role, the Government is threatening gains made over recent years to clamp down on corrupt politicians and bureaucrats in particular," Dr Purdey said.

Mr Widodo has flagged he may issue a regulation to revoke the changes, but it is unclear whether he will follow through.

"If you look at Jokowi's steps so far, he does not seem strong enough to defend the KPK," Saidiman told the ABC.

"It does not appear the President is standing with pro-KPK activists."

"Time will tell," Dr Purdey said. "This could be one of the most important tests of his presidency so far."