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)