Several hundred protestors scuffled with police during a rowdy demonstration outside President Megawati Sukarnoputri's official residence in Jakarta.

The protestors were calling on the president to resign, and carrying signs showing her as the devil.

Police cordoned off the area, but had to resort to a baton charge when the crowd failed to disperse.

The latest demonstrations follow weeks of protests over fuel price hikes, which threatened to destabilize President Megawati's financial reform programme.

Anger over the proposed increases led to a government climb-down and the demonstrations had largely died down. But discontent amongst ordinary Indonesians has not gone away.

"We demand that Megawati resign because she no longer supports the ordinary people, " one student told the French news agency AFP.

One policeman was apparently taken hostage by the crowd, and at least two people were arrested. It was unclear if there were any injuries.

Critics say that President Megawati has failed to address economic mismanagement and endemic corruption in Indonesia.

Sharp rises in fuel prices at the height of the financial crisis in May 1998 triggered rioting which contributed to the fall of then-President Suharto.