East Timor police on Tuesday clashed for a second day with protesters angry over a plan to buy SUVs for lawmakers in one of southeast Asia's poorest nations, whose leader issued a rebuke over the violence.

Demonstrators in the capital Dili burned tyres, a government vehicle near the parliament building and hurled rocks toward the officers, who responded with tear gas.

The over 2,000 protesters -- mostly university students from the capital -- gathered near the National Parliament to oppose a plan to procure Toyota Prado SUVs for each of the 65 members of parliament.

It followed a similar protest on Monday, which prompted several political parties to announce they would ask parliament to cancel the plan.

Those same parties had previously approved the 2025 budget that included the fundin

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