LBH asks UI rector to assure six students' status

LBH asks UI rector to assure six students' status

JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta Legal Aids Institute (LBH Jakarta)
asked University of Indonesia (UI) rector Asman Boedisantoso on
Wednesday to give an assurance that their clients could join
classes for the upcoming semester.

"This is the second time the UI rector has failed to meet our
invitation to discuss the future of our clients," lawyer
Christina Rini Yuliarti told reporters.

Christina is representing six students who have been
sanctioned by the UI rector saying that they cannot join the
upcoming semester following their alleged key roles in persuading
students to be involved in a protest. The protest referred to was
the introduction by the rector's of policy to charge the students
with extra school fees since August 1999, in addition to the
regular tuition.

"We have already twice invited the rector to discuss the
future of our clients, but he was unavailable," she said.

Asman's secretary Suparyatiningsih said, as quoted by
Christina, that the rectorate had yet to receive any invitation
letter to discuss the settlement of the six students' suspension.

Christina however said, she would still invite Asman to come
to the LBH Jakarta office next Wednesday for the same purpose.

"If Asman fails to show up next Wednesday, we will send him a
warning letter, and if he neglects the warning, we will then file
a lawsuit against him with the Jakarta State Administrative
Court," she said.

Meanwhile, Lucky A. Lontoh, one of the six suspended students,
said the rector had yet to clarify their status.

"If our status remains unclear, we will not be registered as
students in the next semester which will begin in January," he
said.

Asman issued a decree on Nov. 16, 2000, prohibiting the six
students from joining the classes and other university activities
beginning January 2001.

The decree No. 266/SK/R/UI/2000 stipulates that two law
students, Lucky and Dhoho Ali Sastro, are prohibited to join the
classes for the next two semesters.

Two other law students Dipo Asto Prayoga and Maha Wisnu T.A.,
Dewi Astuti of UI's school of literature and Fezan Gustamo Rozak
of UI's school of engineering are respectively also prohibited to
join the next semester.

The rector also issued warning letters to law student Suma
Mihardja, engineering student Ai Sukaesih and literature student
Ida Ayu Utami Sundari.

Asman defended the sanctions by stating that they were imposed
due to a recommendation issued by the Committee for the
Settlement of Internal Regulations Violation (PPPTT), which was
established by the university's rectorate on March 3, 2000.

He said the students had violated UI's internal regulation on
maintaining peace and order within the university campus.

Some 300 UI students staged a rally on Feb. 2, 2000, rejecting
the imposition of the extra school fees, known as the Education
Quality Improvement Fund (DPKP). The rally was held in
conjunction with UI's 50th anniversary celebration.

The protesters claimed that many students cannot afford to pay
the extra fees, which are Rp 1 million (US$105) for students of
the medical school, the school of engineering, the school of
mathematics and pure sciences. The fee for social science
students is a further Rp 750,000.

Earlier, Asman insisted that he would not compromise with the
students who refuse to pay the extra school fees.

"Those who still refuse to pay the DPKP fund will not be
allowed to attend classes. There is a regulation in place
concerning this," Asman has said.

Asman said about 85 percent of the students had already paid
the extra fee. "There are only 300 students who still refuse to
pay the extra fee, and the number is decreasing." (01)