Father Sandyawan hospitalized

JAKARTA (JP): Ignatius Sandyawan Sumardi, a Catholic priest recently cleared of charges for harboring political fugitives, has been admitted to a hospital for dengue fever, sources close to him said yesterday.

Sandyawan was admitted to St. Carolus Hospital in Central Jakarta on Sunday, said Sukaryo, a social worker at the Institut Social Jakarta.

The institute is a non-governmental organization headed by the Jesuit priest dedicated to help the urban poor.

Father Sandyawan, 39, and his brother Benny Sumardi, 45, were charged last year of harboring three activists of the Democratic People's Party (PRD) wanted for allegedly masterminding the riots of July 27, 1996 in Jakarta.

The Bekasi District Court acquitted them on considerations that providing shelter to someone in danger was part of a religious leader's humanitarian duty.

Sandyawan is the recipient of the 1996 Yap Thiam Hien human rights award, named after a late prominent Indonesian human rights activist and lawyer. (anr)