Students protest paper price hike

SEMARANG, Central Java: Hundreds of students rallied at the provincial legislative council Wednesday to demand that the government move to bring down paper prices.

The poster-waving demonstrators demanded that the government take prompt action to end the paper crisis, which is threatening newspapers in the provinces with closure and the public with steep rises in textbook prices.

They also demand the resignation of Minister of Industry Tunky Ariwibowo due to his "inability" to handle the crisis and called for an end to monopolistic and oligopolistic practices in the paper industry.

Asma, the spokesman for the protesters, said it was ironic that the crisis happened only a month after President Soeharto launched a campaign aimed at encouraging people to buy and read books. (har/rms)