Jakarta – Some 300 Moslem students protested in front of parliament Thursday demanding the military ends its political role and calling for an investigation into the wealth of former president Suharto.

The students, including veiled Moslem women students, staged a peaceful rally outside the closed gate of the national parliament and held joint prayers before disbanding peacefully. The students, from the United Action of Indonesian Moslem Students, made four demands in a statement. They demanded an end to the armed forces' role in politics, accorded to them by law, saying the law "gave legitimacy for ABRI (the Indonesian armed forces) to play a larger role in the political landscape of Indonesia... which therefore greately reduced the role of Moslems."

They also demanded the scrapping of a law under which all political and mass organisations must adhere to the state ideology. The law prohibits the development of religious parties, the students said, adding it also "hindered democracy in Indonesia."

A third demand was "an investigation into the wealth of Suharto as a reflection of the upholding of legal certainty in Indonesia."