Railway crossing guard's suit upheld

Railway crossing guard's suit upheld

JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta Administrative High Court has
ordered the minister of communications to pay Rp 15 million
(US$2,000) in compensation to a railway crossing guard whose
neglect led to a bloody crash which left more than 100 people
dead in Bintaro, South Jakarta, in 1987.

Lawyer Surya Tjandra of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute who
represented the guard, Jamhari, said on Friday that the high
court's order upheld the decision made by the Jakarta
Administrative Court in May last year.

"The court ordered the minister to pay the pension fund
Jamhari deserved," Surya said.

The then minister was Rusmin Nuryadin.

He said the 53-year-old guard was dismissed by the Ministry of
Transportation in 1994 after Jamhari spent 10 months in jail for
the recklessness.

He said Jamhari and four other employees of state railway
company Perumka were sentenced to between 10 months and 5 years
in jail for neglecting their duties, which caused the train
collision in October 1987.

The four other employees were also dismissed but received
their pensions, while Jamhari, the father of seven children, did
not receive anything, he said.

"I hope the minister of transportation does not appeal the
decision to the Supreme Court. The pension fund is expected to
help Jamhari's family during the hard times," he said.

He said Jamhari had received donations from the Dompet Dhuafa
foundation to support his children's school fees. (jun)