Trial date set for 12 accused students

Trial date set for 12 accused students

JAKARTA (JP): The South Jakarta District Court will soon open
the trial of 12 National University students accused of
assaulting members of the college's Student Regiment last
October.

Judge Moegihardjo, who will preside at the hearings, said the
students would be split into two groups of six defendants each.
The trial of the first group will begin on Jan. 19 and the second
on Jan. 23.

The students have been accused of burning the regiment command
post and attacking some of the members guarding it.

The dossiers prepared by the state prosecutors charge the 12
students with violating Article 170 of the Criminal Code, which
stipulates that a person who intentionally assaults another, or
destroys property, could face maximum imprisonment of five-and-
a-half years.

The attack on the regiment members came at the peak of
discontent among university students at the rough behavior of
many members of the regiment, whom they felt often bullied other
college students in the name of discipline.

The existence of the student regiments at most universities
have been questioned following reports of brawls at colleges
involving the regiment members. Following the criticism, the
government, early this month, agreed to restructure and place the
regiments under the supervision of the ministries of defense and
security, home affairs and education and culture. Previously, the
regiments were supervised only by the Ministry of Education and
Culture.

Despite the criticism of the student regiment, no members have
been tried in connection with the behavior that led to the
attacks.

The 12 students to be tried in South Jakarta next week are
members of Himpala, an association of nature lovers at the
university.

The 12 defendants are B. Satrio Widyanarto, Yudi Jamhur, Rakai
Aryadipa Erlangga, Dharmawan, Budi Murdiyanto, Reza Pahlevi,
Syech Aljufri, Agus Heryana Anirun, Mulyono Sugito, Kusnadi
Darisan, Sudrajad Trisna and Indra Mulia Ismed Kamal.

The brawl, amid a celebration of the university's 45th
anniversary, left five students injured.

The fighting reportedly was in retaliation to an attack on one
of the nature lovers by regiment members over a trivial road
accident outside the campus.

The prosecutors for the two trials will be H.P. Silitonga and
Hasan Madani. (mas)