Students protest councillor's comments

KENDARI, Southeast Sulawesi: Hundreds of students staged a protest on Thursday outside the Southeast Sulawesi provincial council building to demand that councillor Hermanto to apologize over comments that the students claimed denigrated Haluoleo University.

The protest was marred by violence between the students and police officers that left some students and officers injured.

The brouhaha stemmed from comments by Hermanto that were carried in the local press to the effect that Haluoleo University had contributed nothing to the development of Southeast Sulawesi province. -- JP