Jakarta. The Foreign Affairs Ministry announced Tuesday that an Indonesian national had died in Bangladesh which had been seeing waves of anti-government protests. 

The Indonesian citizen, referred to by the initials DU, died in Bangladesh’s Jashore on Monday. DU was in Bangladesh for a business trip and had only arrived in the riot-struck country on Aug. 1.

“DU died from inhaling too much smoke when the hotel that DU was staying in caught fire amidst the clashes,”  the ministry said.

The ministry has spoken with DU’s family in Indonesia to give their condolences. The government will also help repatriate DU’s body in partnership with the victim’s employer. Indonesia has warned its citizens against traveling to Bangladesh for the time being.

“We also wish to remind Indonesians [in Bangladesh] to stay alert and avoid mass crowds and protests. Citizens must also follow the contingency steps as instructed by the Indonesian Embassy in Dhaka,” the ministry said.

The demonstrations started off peacefully with students demanding the removal of the government job quota system. These riots then turned deadly following clashes between protesters and the police. The demands also evolved to calls for Ex-Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation. Protesters even set fire to a hotel owned by a leader of Hasina’s party in Jashore. The riot’s death toll is nearing 300 since mid-July, according to the Associated Press. 

Hasina left the country on Monday after resigning, thus ending her 15-year rule. She fled to neighboring India. 

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