Jakarta – Widespread protest against the fuel price hike hit the capital on Friday, creating heavy traffic congestion in many parts of the city, reports said.

Students from the All-Indonesia Student Executive Body staged their protest at the People's Consultative Assembly/House of Representatives (MPR/DPR) building in Central Jakarta and, as of 4:30 p.m., still continued their speeches, calling on the government not to raise the price of fuel and also to scrap theplan to raise electricity and telephone rates.

The BEM students also burned an effigy of House Speaker Akbar Tandjung as a "show of support for a full investigation and legal processing of the 1999 Bulog scandal".

Before reaching the legislative building, the group toured the capital by staging protest in the Salemba area of Central Jakarta and at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle.

Also protesting the fuel price hike at the MPR/DPR building were members of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI).

Meanwhile, hundreds of students also staged similar protests at the State Academy of Islamic Studies (IAIN) Campus in Ciputat, South Jakarta and in the Diponegoro and Salemba areas of Central Jakarta.

Traffic built up along the Jl. Gatot Subroto – Jl. M.H. Thamrin – Semanggi cloverleaf and Jl. Jend Sudirman route, in addition to the normal afternoon peak congestion.