Thousands rally against fuel price hike in Indonesia

JAKARTA (AFP) — Thousands of Indonesians in several major cities held peaceful street protests on Sunday against the government's decision to hike the price of fuel by around 30 percent.

In Surabaya, the capital of East Java, about 6,000 members of the Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia Islamic movement marched from the governor's residence to a busy commercial area to protest the fuel price hike.

They said the move was a burden for people already reeling from soaring prices for other essentials, ElShinta radio reported.

About 500 members of Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia's chapter in Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province, marched around the city's main market to protest the increase, announced by the government last month, ElShinta said.

In Jakarta, about 200 members of the Front for the Defenders of the People held speeches at a busy roundabout to protest.

"Reject the fuel price increase," said one large banner displayed by the protesters while another said "Reject the cash assistance scheme," referring to the government's programme of giving financial help to the poor to cushion the impact of the fuel price increase.

The state Antara news agency reported hundreds of people protesting in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, and a street march in Solo, Central Java.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last week defended his unpopular fuel price hike as necessary to avoid an economic meltdown similar to the 1997 financial crisis.

But critics say it puts an unacceptable burden on the poor who are already struggling to make ends meet after the recent surge in food prices.

Even after the latest adjustment to the pricing regime, which saw gasoline prices jump 33.3 percent to 6,000 rupiah (65 cents), Indonesians enjoy some of the lowest fuel costs in Asia.