Paternity case to be settled privately

Paternity case to be settled privately

JAKARTA (JP): While city police are still investigating the
case, a local female physician and an American expatriate, who
the physician has alleged is the father of her three-and-a-half
year old son, have decided to solve the case privately.

The decision, to be contained in a document to be signed next
week, was reached in a meeting between the physician, Sri Rahayu,
36, and two representatives of Mark Thomas Rex, 37, an English
language instructor.

A reliable source told The Jakarta Post yesterday that the
friendly dialog constitutes major progress, ending the heated war
between the two parties, as has appeared in many local media
publications.

The source said that Rex is willing to have a DNA test, as
requested by Sri Rahayu, known as Yayuk, in order to prove
whether he is the real father of Gerry Indrabayu Rukmana, who has
Caucasian features.

The agreement would also state, that whatever the final result
of the DNA test, Yayuk has no rights to force Rex to admit his
paternity of Gerry, as required by the existing laws, the source
said.

"Only Rex can decide whether he wants to accept Gerry as his
son or not," one of the representatives said.

City police appreciated the two parties' plan to end the
dispute.

"Even I do not know the latest progress in the investigation
of that case. Their plan is a good idea not only for the both of
them, but also for the boy," City Police spokesman Lt. Col.
Bambang Haryoko told the Post yesterday.

As of yesterday, Rex still could not be reached for comment.

"He has no teaching schedule this week," a secretary at the
language center told the Post by phone.

Yayuk believes that the father of her son, born on Dec. 3,
1991, is Rex.

Based on Yayuk's version, Rex drove her and her friend Marina
to his house after the three spent several hours at the Oscar pub
on Jl. Falatehan, South Jakarta.

"Because I got drunk, I was not aware of anything until I
found myself laying naked on the dirty floor of a room, probably
a storeroom, in the house," she said.

A month after the incident, Yayuk found herself pregnant.

As she was unable to find Rex's house, Yayuk decided to keep
quiet about the matter and married her longstanding fiance, Ferry
Satria, in June 1991.

Realizing "his baby" was of mixed ancestry, Ferry refused to
accept the child as his and immediately divorced Yayuk.

Yayuk discovered Rex's whereabouts later but he kept refusing
to accept the boy. Yayuk reported the case to city police in
November, 1992.

The case appeared again after Yayuk revealed the story to
several local media.

"I don't want to marry him. I don't need even a cent from
him," Yayuk said.

"What I need is his written statement, legalized by authorized
officials, stating that he is the father of my son. That's all,"
she said. (bsr)