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.