Workers demand governor's resignation

BATAM, Riau Islands: Some 5,000 workers on Batam staged another protest on Tuesday, demanding Riau Islands acting governor Ismeth Abdullah's resignation over his failure to improve workers' welfare.

The acting governor was condemned for not raising the minimum wage in Batam from Rp 635,000 (US$70.5) to Rp 728,000 a month, a hike that the workers had been demanding for the last few months.

The protest on Tuesday almost ended in violence when hundreds of security guards and police officers prevented the workers from entering the governor's office compound in downtown Batam. -- JP