Raisa Premiera – A group of vocal supporters continued an overnight vigil outside a Jakarta hospital on Thursday to support a man who dramatically set himself on fire during a suspected protest against the Indonesian government.

The unidentified man survived the attempted suicide outside the State Palace on Thursday evening, but is listed as being in a critical condition in the intensive care unit of Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) in Central Jakarta.

It is believe to be the first protest of its kind in Indonesia, though there is increasing resentment building against President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for failing to make any progress in eradicating rampant corruption and poverty.

Speaking during a news conference at the state-run hospital on Thursday, Dr Akmal Taher, the hospital director, said the man had burns to 97 percent of his body, making it unlikely he would survive.

"We are trying to save him but it will be difficult to do so," Akmal said. He was using a respirator to help him breathe, he said. Burn injuries to the man's face would also hamper efforts to identify the victim, he said.

Outside the hospital, a group of about a dozen people, who began gathering outside the hospital on Wednesday night, were distributing an open letter to passers-by.

The letter, presented on behalf of Jaringan Kampus (Campus Network), offered its sympathy to the victim, who they believed set himself on fire to protest against the central government. The group compared the incident to the self-immolation of Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi, whose protest sparked the Arab Spring uprisings.

Jati, a member of the group, said they had spoken to a witnessn who stated that the man, who approached the Presidential Palace from the National Monument (Monas), poured three bottles of gas over himself before igniting himself.

As he burned he continued to walk toward the palace before collapsing, Jati said. Jati said that according to the witness, the man was wearing tidy clothing and footwear and screamed antigovernment messages before he set himself on fire.