Indonesia deploys riot police over protests against China-backed project

JAKARTA (AFP): Indonesia has sent hundreds of riot police to a tiny island, an official said Friday, after protests broke out against a China-backed project that would displace thousands of residents.

Around 1,000 people protested in Batam City on Monday over a plan to develop Rempang island into a Chinese-funded economic zone, including the construction of a multibillion-dollar glass factory, that would displace around 7,500 people.