Some 1,000 Indonesian students rallied peacefully in the center of the national capital on Thursday to mark Independence Day with calls for further reform.
The students marched down a main Jakarta avenue towards the presidential palace, shouting "Reformasi! (Reform)," before they were stopped by dozens of riot police about 500 meters (550 yards) from the palace.
Police later allowed them to continue their march, once the main flag-raising ceremony, attended by hundreds of dignitaries at the palace, was over.
President Abdurrahman Wahid presided over the ceremony, which marked the country's declaration of independence from the Dutch on August 17th 1945. The Dutch occupation did not end until 1949.
The protesters, some of whom had traveled by bus from outlying cities, called for amendments to the state constitution, the prosecution of former president Suharto for corruption and abuse of power and the ousting of the military from parliament.
"This rally is to show our disappointment with the annual session of the MPR (People's Consultative Assembly) because it has failed to contribute to solving the country's problems," Yanuar, a student leader of the University of Indonesia, told AFP.
The annual session of the MPR, the country's highest lawmaking body, which started on August 5th, is scheduled to close Friday.
"We remain concerned about the reform agenda," Yanuar said.
In 1998, student activists helped topple the country's former autocratic president Suharto after 32 years in power with massive, nationwide street protests.
They have since proposed what they called "Six Points of Reform" which include such demands as trying Suharto and his business cronies, changes in the state constitution and the elimination of the military's political role.
The activists have seen several of their fellow students shot and killed by soldiers during the often-violent reform protests in the past two years - JAKARTA (AFP)
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