Former President Suharto drew the anger of a group of dispossessed villagers yesterday on a rare trip out of the Indonesian capital. About 150 people protested against Suharto in the Java island town of Solo, where the ex-army general travelled earlier this week to visit the grave of his wife.

The activists said the Government seized their homes a decade ago while Suharto was still in power, so officials could build a dam and flood their village near Solo. The village, Kedung Ombo, no longer exists.

Suharto, 77, quit in May after riots and protests against his 32-year authoritarian rule and has been living as a virtual recluse in his Jakarta home. He and five of his six children travelled to Solo to spend the Muslim feast days of Eid al-Fitr near the grave of his wife, Siti Hartinah, who died in May 1996. Suharto faces a corruption investigation and has been accused of enriching his family and associates at the expense of the State.

The protesters in Solo, 480km southeast of Jakarta, staged a sit-in on a main road and demanded in vain to meet with Suharto to discuss their grievances. "What about our land? We have been living like scavengers for the past 10 years," one resident shouted. The demonstrators dispersed after one hour when police chief Colonel Zainal Abidin said that Suharto was too busy to meet with them.

Since his resignation, Suharto has been the target of student protests demanding that he be put on trial. In recent months, hundreds of troops have been deployed daily to prevent activists from marching to his Jakarta home. Student leaders in Solo had earlier threatened to demonstrate against Suharto during his trip. But campuses have been quiet.