Riau students continue hunger strike

Riau students continue hunger strike

PEKANBARU, Riau: Three students from the Sultan Syarief Wasim State Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN) have been staging a hunger strike since Friday in protest against the recent increase of fuel prices.

The strikers -- Reinaldi, Salahuddin and Hendra Gunawan -- looked very weak on Monday as they refrained from eating, drinking and smoking for four days.

They set up a tent at the Mayang Terurai bus terminal in Pekanbaru, Riau. The strike was also to protest the government's plan to increase electricity rates.

The protesters slammed the government for ignoring the plight of low-income people who have further suffered from increasing fuel prices which has caused the prices of basic commodities to soar in recent weeks. --Antara