Indonesian police clash with students
April 1 (Reuters)

By Andrew Marshall

JAKARTA, April 1 (Reuters) - Indonesian police clashed with some 300
stone-throwing student protesters on Saturday, driving them off with tear 
gas and baton charges as they tried to march to the house of former 
President Suharto.

But the mass demonstrations that student and workers groups had threatened 
against planned higher prices and wage increases for senior officials 
failed to materialise, with only modest rallies reported in the capital. 

The student protesters, some armed with sticks and with cloths wrapped 
around their faces to hide their identity, had marched around the city for 
several hours before trying to reach the central Jakarta street where 
Suharto's residence is located.

Some carried Indonesian flags and placards demanding Suharto be taken to 
court.

They were met by lines of police in riot gear, who fired rounds of tear gas
and charged after the students began throwing rocks. Some students were 
beaten repeatedly by police, but no details were immediately available on 
injuries.

Elsewhere in the capital, around 200 workers and students entered the
parliament building, a frequent target of Indonesian protesters. Parliament 
is in recess until May 12.

There was no violence but the protesters caused long traffic jams on the 
main road to the airport, which runs past the parliament building.
Student and labour groups had pledged to hold mass protests against plans 
to raise fuel and electricity prices on Saturday and give top civil 
servants hefty pay increases.

But on Friday, President Abdurrahman Wahid said he was postponing cutting 
fuel subsidies, although electricity and public transport prices would go 
up as planned.

Some radical groups had said they would go ahead with their protests as the 
delay in fuel price rises did not go far enough in meeting their demands.
Jakarta city police had put 16,000 personnel on standby to face any 
possible unrest.

On Thursday, police fired tear gas and clashed with protesting students, 
also near Suharto's residence. The last time the government tried to cut 
subsidies, in May 1998, the move fuelled mass unrest which helped topple 
Suharto. Indonesia's attorney-general has declared Suharto a suspect in a 
probe into alleged corruption at charities he once controlled. But Suharto 
has twice defied a summons for questioning, with his lawyers saying he is 
not mentally fit to be investigated.

The 78-year-old former president was twice hospitalised last year following 
a stroke and his lawyers say he can only formulate and understand simple 
sentences.

06:48 04-01-00