Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – Thousands of people across the country Tuesday continued to stage rallies to express support for the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), as the Constitutional Court heard controversial tape recordings related to the arrest of the two KPK deputy chiefs.

In front of the court, dozens of policemen tightly guarded the rallies held by different groups, some of which supported the KPK, while others supported the police.

In front of the court, hundreds of university students strongly rejected the criminalization of the KPK.

However, hundreds of others also supported the arrest of the KPK deputy chiefs, Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M. Hamzah, saying the two were mafia, not heroes.

In Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, about 300 people staged a rally demanding that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono save the KPK. "We urge the President to take a firm stance and save the KPK," said the rally's coordinator, Ervyn Kaffah.

In Makassar, South Sulawesi, the Makassar Islamic Students Salvation Assembly Organization (HMI-MPO), the Indonesian Catholic Students Association (PMKRI), and the Love Indonesia, Love KPK (Cicak) also held a demonstration on Tuesday.

Dozens of students also took to the streets in Situbondo, East Java, to show support for the detained KPK deputy chiefs.

[Panca Nugraha from Mataram and Andi Hajramurni from Makassar also contributed to this story.]