Taufik meets the President

JAKARTA (JP): The 15-year-old Bekasi schoolboy who made headlines for finding three live grenades on a railway track was received by President Abdurrahman Wahid at Merdeka Palace on Saturday and awarded Rp 10 million.

Taufik, a villager from Karangsari, Kedung Waringin district, was accompanied by his parents to the meeting with the President, which was arranged by Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications Agum Gumelar.

The junior high school student told the press after the meeting that the President praised him for his willingness to report the grenades, which he discovered while herding his family's cows after school last Monday.

The President gave Taufik a small parcel and promised to support his education, Antara reported.

Taufik and his parents said they did not know what the parcel contained, but palace staffers said the President had instructed them to give Rp 10 million to the young hero.

Bekasi Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Idrus Gassing earlier rewarded Taufik with a scholarship, while the Kedung Waringin district head opened a savings account in the boy's name with Rp 1 million. (sur)