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Indonesian Muslims shout slogans during a protest against planned fuel price hikes outside the presidential palace in Jakarta, Indonesia. Students and hard-line Muslims angry over impending fuel price increases protested in Indonesia, showing the risks for the government as it tries to cut subsidies amid soaring world oil prices . -- PHOTO: AP
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JAKARTA - STUDENTS rallied across Indonesia for a second day on Tuesday against a government plan to raise subsidised fuel prices, reports and the police said.
Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets in several cities on the islands of Java, Sulawesi and Sumatra, staging noisy protests calling for the government to cancel the plan.
In Makassar, South Sulawesi province, more than 100 students blocked roads and burned tyres, police said. A brief scuffle broke out when police moved in to end the protest, ElShinta radio reported.
Some 200 students also rallied in Malang, East Java province, while in Solok of West Sumatra dozens of protesters carried banners blaming the government for adding to the economic misery of Indonesia's poor.
The government is considering a fuel price rise of up to 30 per cent, which would see the cost of gasoline climb to 6,000 rupiah (S$0.88) from 4,500 rupiah.
It says the move is essential to cut back ballooning fuel subsidies and reel in the budget deficit amid soaring oil prices.
But the government is facing mounting opposition from the street as well as parliament, where most parties have reportedly turned against the plan in a bid to win favour with voters ahead of elections next year.
Indonesia last raised its fuel price by 126 per cent in 2005, sparking widespread street protests. -- AFP
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