Students protest gambling dens

BATAM: Dozens of students from four universities in Batam staged a peaceful rally in front of the mayor's office on Saturday demanding the closure of gambling dens in the city.

Hari, one of the students, said that gambling dens in the city were unrestrained because they received "protection" from corrupt officers in the local administration and in central government.

Many public figures and community leaders in the city have complained about rampant gambling in this city of 500,000 citizens, but there has been no significant response from the local administration.

They predicted that the city earned billions of rupiah every month from gambling such as sie jie and casino games. --Antara