Demonstrators had gathered throughout day outside the House, where a plenary was in session to rule on the findings from the House inquiry committee’s probe into the Bank Century bailout.

With increasing numbers of demonstrators both supporting and protesting the bailout, the police closed Jl. Gatot Subroto, Central Jakarta, at noon and rerouted traffic onto the adjacent toll road and onto Jl. Gerbang Pemuda.

In anticipation of the violence that marred Tuesday’s protest, hundreds of police officers were deployed to man a barbed-wire barricade separating the opposing groups.

Supporters of the bailout took the first opportunity to harangue the crowd.

Among those taking part in the rally were demonstrators claiming to represent groups affiliated to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party, including the National Committee for Indonesian Community (KNMI) and the Betawi People’s Communication Forum (Forkabi).

“We’ll do anything to protect President Yudhoyono and his administration from those who seek to unconstitutionally topple him,” KNMI deputy chairman Alex Asmasoebrata said in his speech.

The rally turned heated later in the day when the group protesting the bailout began their own series of speeches.

Some protesters, claiming to represent the Nusantara Student Alliance (AMN) and the Association of Islamic Students (HMI), burned a tire and tried to dismantle the razor wire barricade blocking the entrance to the House complex, soon after the supporting group had left at 2 p.m.

They then burned a large poster of Yudhoyono.

At around 5 p.m., unidentified protesters began throwing rocks and sticks at officers stationed at the House entrance, triggering the police to fire back with tear gas and a water cannon.

“We have to show some tough love, otherwise the whole rally could get dangerously out of hand,” Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar said later.

One officer and a dozen protesters were reportedly injured in the incident. Century was bailed out inNovember 2008 at a cost of Rp 6.76 trillion (US$716 million), or 10 times the initial estimate.

The House inquiry committee into the bailout laid out its final conclusions in the case Tuesday.

A vote by the House on which conclusion to adopt was scheduled for Wednesday’s plenary.

Meanwhile, over in Serang, Banten, five students were reportedly taken to Serang General Hospital after a clash between police and protesters of the bailout.

The five, from Tirtayasa University, have been identified as Gilang Ramadhan, Deden Subhan, Mad’aer Efendi, Budi and Silvia.

They reportedly suffered bruises and head wounds.

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