Yudi still being treated

Yudi still being treated

Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Parents of Yudi Susanto, a student of the Jakarta State
University (UNJ) injured in Thursday's demonstration outside the
Supreme Court building, have entrusted all matters regarding the
incident, including a lawsuit against the police, to the UNJ
Student Executive Body (BEM).

"I just wish to see my son recover quickly and able to attend
classes again," said Puniran, Yudi's father, who has been at his
son's bedside at Pondok Indah Hospital, South Jakarta, since
Friday.

Yudi, 23, a student of the school of mechanical engineering at
UNJ, suffered a fracture to the rear right side of his skull,
caused by blows from police batons during the demonstration. The
police claimed they had been provoked first.

Suparno, one of Yudi's seniors at BEM-UNJ who was watching
over him at the hospital on Sunday, said that Yudi could not be
interviewed at the moment because doctors had strictly forbidden
visitors.

"His temperature tends to rise if he is too exhausted," he
said.

He also explained that the doctors had previously planned to
operate on Yudi but then reverted to non-surgical treatment while
waiting for a full diagnosis in the next two days.

All of Yudi's expenses at the hospital will be paid by BEM-UNJ
from donations of students and parents.

"We have decided to turn down the police offer to pay for his
medical expenses," Suparno said, stressing that they only
demanded that the police be prosecuted for their brutality during
the demonstration.

Thursday's clash between students and the police resulted in
73 protesters being taken to hospital with 53 taken to Cipto
Mangunkusumo General Hospital (RSCM) and Gatot Subroto Army
Hospital (RSPAD). Six were seriously injured and had to stay in
the hospital.

Yudi is the only one still in hospital as the five others have
been discharged. He was then transferred by his parents from RSCM
to Pondok Indah Hospital on Friday.

Dozens of student representatives from various universities,
which joined Thursday's demonstration, had reported the Jakarta
Police to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) on
Saturday, demanding a full inquiry into the bloodiest clash
between demonstrators and police since the police became
independent from the military in 2000.