Indonesian police fire shots to quell anti-government rally (Roundup)

Oct 20, 2010, 11:21 GMT

Jakarta - Police in Jakarta on Wednesday fired warning shots and tear gas to disperse anti-government protestors.

Protests were held in several Indonesian cities to mark the first anniversary of the beginning of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's second five-year term.

Dozens of student demonstrators in Jakarta's Menteng neighbourhood blocked a road and fought anti-riot police who tried to disperse them.

Police fought back by firing warning shots and hurling back rocks thrown at them by the students, who were mostly from the nearby Bung Karno University.

One student suffered gunshot wounds to the leg.

Outside the tightly guarded presidential palace, police fired tear gas to disperse about 300 protestors, some of whom threw rocks and other missiles at the officers.

'SBY must resign because under his government poverty is getting worse,' said one protestor, referring to Yudhoyono by his nickname.

The streets of Jakarta, notorious for their traffic jams, were quiet Wednesday as residents avoided using cars out of fear of massive anti-government demonstrations, but local media reports of a planned rally involving about 20,000 people in Jakarta did not materialize.

Critics have accused Yudhoyono's government of failing to improve the lot of the country's poorest despite rising economic growth.

His supporters, however, have credited the former general with steering Indonesia to economic and political stability after years of turmoil.

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