Students reject Tapornas plan

SEMARANG, Central Java: One hundred students from various local universities demonstrated at the city council office yesterday to reject the government's plan to introduce Tapornas, or the national savings plan for sports' promotion.

Yelling, "Ban Tapornas", "Tapornas is gambling in disguise" and "Stop gambling in Indonesia", the students participated in the four-hour event which was closely monitored by policemen and plainclothes officers.

Spokesman for the protesters, Kelik Suwarno, said the students will continue protesting if the government goes on with the plan.

The Tapornas, initially meant to replace the controversial state lottery, SDSB, has met fierce rejection from the public, especially religious figures who say it also smacks of gambling. (har/pwn)