Drivers' strike strands thousands

PALANGKA RAYA, Central Kalimantan: About 200 minivan drivers went on strike on Friday to protest the local authorities' plan to increase the number of public transportation vehicles and add new routes.

Students were among the thousands stranded as the city came to a virtual halt beginning in the early morning.

"The plan to add 75 more vans will severely affect our income," one of the drivers told Antara.

Drivers' spokesman Mat Nanyom said his peers were already suffering from declining income as passenger numbers waned.