Jakarta – Some 2,000 Indonesian students on Friday converged on the national parliament to protest against a draft security law and demand a trial of former president Suharto.

Some 1,500 students marched towards the parliament from the Jayabaya private university in in South Jakarta about one kilometre southeast of the legislative complex.

But they were held back by a cordon of fully armed soldiers and riot police units under a flyover some 200 metres before the parliament.

"Fundamental freedom will be oppressed with the State security draft bill," one of the posters carried by the protestors said. Another poster called "Reject the draft bill on security."

They were shortly after joined by some 500 students from the Pancasila University and another 200 students from the City Forum pro-reform student movement.

The students came to protest the draft bill which many have criticized as being even sterner that an anti-subversion law which was revoked earlier this year.

Earlier on Friday, a group of some 50 students from the Alliance for Students and Youths managed to approach the front gate of the parliament to demand the quick settlement of the Bank Bali scandal. They were later told to leave by some 30 armed policemen and they moved to the rear side of the parliamentary complex.