Jakarta – Some 150 university students from campuses throughout greater Jakarta took to the streets Tuesday to demand price cuts and the resignation of Indonesian President B.J. Habibie, witnesses said.

The students, from the same group that staged non-stop sit-in demonstrations to push for the ousting of president Suharto in May, waved national flags and brandished placards reading: "Dismiss the Habibie cabinet and form an Indonesian people's committee." Other placards read "Bring down prices" and "Form a committee to lower prices."

Some 100 police and a few soldiers, some of them armed, watched the demonstration on a traffic island in front of the Hotel Indonesia but did not intervene.

One student said the government should concentrate on improving agriculture and other basic sectors rather than going into high technology. "Let us not try to compete with other countries in the technology area, let us just concentrate on the basic economics of agriculture," a private Atmajaya University student who identified himself only as Mang, 20, said.

Cars slowed down to watch the demonstrators, about a third of whom were ethnic Chinese students. Some drivers blew their horns to express support while others raised their thumbs or waved to the students. "Long-live students," an enthusiastic motorist shouted.

The demonstrators later marched down a main avenue to return to their campuses, taking up one lane of the Imam Bonjol avenue. "Topple Habibie, topple Habibie," the students chanted as they marched under the watchful eyes of some 30 police on motorcycles and on foot carrying rattan sticks. More police were posted at points along the road. Two truckloads of police had earlier arrived to reinforce security there but did not intervene.

The demand for a people's committee to replace the government until elections can be held was aired by the students' forum after Suharto stepped down on May 21, naming Habibie to replace him. Habibie has pledged elections in 1999 for a new People's Consultative Assembly which would pave the way for it to chose a new president and vice-president.