Korean school staffer stands trial

Korean school staffer stands trial

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Public affairs manager of the Korean International School in
Ceger, East Jakarta, Kim Il-Kim, 47, stood trial at the East
Jakarta District Court on Wednesday for allegedly having ordered
five workers to damage property of others.

The five, who are still at large, allegedly uprooted the fence
of the land owned by Santoso Pranajaya, which is located next to
the school.

Reading the indictment, prosecutor Dona Sitorus told the court
that the defendant would be charged for violating Article 170 of
the Criminal Code on the collective use of overt violence against
person or property. The article carries a maximum sentence of
five-and-half-year's imprisonment.

"The defendant had ordered two workers, named Asmuni and
Trimulyatno to hire five seasonal workers for Rp 150,000
(US$16.67) to damage the fence ... The offense has incurred Rp
7.5 million in losses to the owner," Dona said.

Kim, who has been on detention for about two weeks, is also
charged of violating the Code's Article 406 for damaging other
people's property and Article 335 for unpleasant conduct.

The hearing room was packed with dozens of students, parents
as well as teachers of the school, who expressed their solidarity
by staging a rally in the lobby of the court.

They said that Kim was not guilty since he only opened the
fence that blocked the only access to the school.

Defense lawyer Mohammad Iqbal Salim requested suspension of
detention for his client, who said he was actually unfit to
attend the hearing as he was still having medical treatment for
symptoms of typhoid fever.

"We guarantee that the defendant will not evade the law or
destroy evidence," he said.

Presiding judge ZA Sangadji said the board of judges would
need some time to consider the request.

"The opinion of the board of judges about the request will be
delivered after the defendant finished the treatment period," he
said.

The judges will allow Kim to continue medical treatment until
Dec. 31.

"The next hearing will be determined later considering the
health status of the defendant," Sangadji concluded.