USM students let off with warning but may face other charges

comments     Kevin Tan     Published     Updated

The 33 Universiti Sains Malaysia students who were alleged to have participated in a illegal gathering last August were let off with warnings after a hearing yesterday with several having their warnings graded stern.

The students, however, have been warned that they may face other charges.

The hearing session for the students  mostly members of the USM Chinese Language Society (CLS)  was conducted yesterday at the universitys campus in Penang.

Ten USM alumnus staged a peaceful protest in the morning over the charging of the students. They carried banners urging for the restoration of democracy on campus.

Posters condemning the hearing were also plastered on bus stops near the university and a signature campaign was also launched to protest the universitys actions. University security personnel were spotted trying to remove the posters.

The 33 students were deemed to have violated university regulations when they staged a protest in front of the campus student affairs department building on August 1 last year.

The group had gathered that day to show support for four CLS members who were attending their hearing on the charge of taking part in an inter-varsity debate without the universitys consent.

The four were censured and fined for taking part in the Singapore-Malaysia inter-varsity Chinese debate competition held Singapore in May last year. They have appealed against the punishment.

Many of the 33 students are likely to face another charge for their involvement in yet another illegal gathering last year, according to USM CLS off-campus support group secretary, Cheah Sau Seng.

Second hearing

He said some students were told about the second charge during yesterdays proceeding but none of them have been officially informed as yet.

Cheah said some of the 33 students had gathered in front of the student affairs department building on August 30 last year in a show of support for CLS secretary Choo Chon Kai who was then facing a disciplinary proceeding for selling anti-Internal Security Act badges.

Choo was suspended for one semester last week along with CLS president Lee Yen Ting and students Loke Chee Hoe and Fatin Norsuhana Abdul Khalid.

Lee, Loke and Fatin were suspended for their involvement in a protest against the governments Vision school concept in November 2000.

Cheah, a former USM student, described the suspensions as harsh. He said the unduly heavy punishment could be seen as an attempt to prevent university students from protesting government policies.

Now no student will dare protest against the Vision schools, he said.

Cheah also questioned the universitys motive for holding yesterdays proceeding against the 33 students with the Chinese New Year festive season and their final examinations just around the corner.



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