Students thronged streets in at least 10 Indonesian cities on Tuesday to protest against sharp fuel price hikes. One of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's major political allies in the country's parliament, the Prosperous Justice Party, also criticized the price increases, saying the government had yet to work out a detailed plan to compensate the poor. News radio station El Shinta and the official Antara news agency reported student protests and strikes by public transport drivers in at least 10 cities across the country. Hundreds of students blocked roads in the city of Makassar in the country's east, El Shinta said. In Jakarta, they burnt tyres near a key intersection, witnesses said. Authorities have placed security forces on alert. Seeking to cut budget-crippling fuel subsidies, officials late on Monday announced domestic fuel prices would rise an average 29 percent. The hikes cover items such as gasoline and diesel and took effect in the early hours of Tuesday. Petrol prices are now 2,400 rupiah (25 cents) a litre, up from almost 1,800 rupiah before -- still by far the cheapest in Asia.
