Nationwide rallies mark anti-corruption day in Indonesia - Summary

Jakarta - Thousands of people rallied across Indonesia Wednesday to mark international anti-corruption day, demanding the government take swift measures to end rampant graft in the country. Hundreds of anti-riot police were stationed at strategic locations across the capital, including outside the presidential palace, backed up by water cannon.

In South Sulawesi's capital of Makassar, a brief clash broke out when anti-riot police blocked the protesters' attempts to force their way into the governor's office, leaving one student injured. Tear gas was fired to disperse the protest, MetroTV reported.

The protesters also vandalized shops, pelted fast-food outlet with rocks and damaged a police post, but there were no reports of casualties or arrests.

In the city of Bima in West Nusatenggara, at least two protesters were injured after clashing with police, while a similar scuffle broke out in Pamekasan on the island of Madura off East Java province, leaving four students with bruises.

Anti-corruption rallies also took place in other cities, such as Bandung, Semarang and Solo in central Java, Palembang in West Sumatra and Jayapura in the province of Papua.

Anti-corruption activist Andi Faralay collapsed and died while speaking at rally in Jakarta, witnesses said.

The government's effort to fight corruption has been damaged by a conflict between the country's anti-graft agency and senior police and prosecutors.

The public was outraged last month when two anti-corruption officials were detained by the police.

Many believe the Corruption Eradication Commission had become a target of the police and the attorney general's office because of its reputation for putting corrupt officials behind bars.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono addressed the nation in a televised speech in an attempt to placate the public, saying the case of the two officials should be settled out of court.

The two men were finally reinstated to their original positions but the public was not satisfied.

Yudhoyono also said he would play a leading role in the fight against corruption.

Yudhoyono faces questions over last year's 6.7-trillion-rupiah (716-million-dollar) government bailout of a minor bank, which critics alleged was full of irregularities.

Outside the presidential palace, demonstrators torched images of Vice President Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, who both face criticism over the bank bailout.

Indonesia remains one of the world's most corrupt countries.