Andi Hajramurni, Makassar – Tensions were running high Monday in Makassar, South Sulawesi, as dozens of university students held sometimes violent protests and threatened to expel ethnic Chinese from the city after a Chinese-Indonesian man was accused of attempting to rape his indigenous maid.

This is the second time in the past two months that students in the provincial capital have taken to the streets to denounce an alleged crime committed by a Chinese-Indonesian employer against his maid.

Two months ago students protested after an ethnic Chinese man was arrested for allegedly murdering his maid. This latest protest came after a man allegedly attempted to rape his maid Friday night. The suspect's wife reportedly walked in during the act and immediately notified the police.

The suspect fled, while the victim was taken by officers to Bhayangkara Hospital for treatment.

Makassar Police chief Sr. Comr. Andi Nurman Tahir said the suspect surrendered himself to authorities Sunday and was now being detained at police headquarters for questioning. If charged and convicted of attempted rape, he could face at least five years in jail.

News of the alleged crime was greeted Monday by a violent protest by dozens of students, including some from the South Sulawesi regency of Sinjai, where the maid is from. The rallied in front of the suspect's house and pelted it with stones, breaking several windows. Five students were arrested and questioned at Makassar Police Headquarters.

Another group of students held a rally in front of Muhammadiyah University in the city. Several of the students threatened to "sweep" Chinese-Indonesians out of the city, and attempted to stop vehicles driven by ethnic Chinese.

"We are still haunted by the torture and murder in May (of a maid by a Chinese-Indonesian man), and now a Chinese-Indonesian has committed a similar crime. We deplore and condemn this incident," said one of the students, Fajar.

The protest in front of the suspect's house attracted the attention of local residents, who gathered at the scene on Jl. Sangir to get a closer look. The large crowd forced businesses in the area to close their doors. Police officers escorted the wife and children of the suspect to police headquarters for their protection.

As of evening the situation along Jl. Sangir remained tense as more people continued to arrive, ignoring the police's order to disperse. Dozens of police officers have been deployed to the area to prevent any violence, and a police helicopter has been monitoring the situation from the air.

Makassar Police chief Nurman urged the students and the public to remain calm. He told them it was a criminal matter and was being handled by the police. "We urge the students and the public not to blow up the incident. The accused is being processed and the victim is safe," he said.