Six UTM students found guilty for contacting Suhakam, fined RM200

comments     Kevin Tan     Published     Updated

Six Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) undergraduates were found guilty for violating campus regulations when they brought their plight concerning alleged irregularities in last year's students polls to the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam).

According to a reliable source, the students were fined RM200 each and given stern warning by a disciplinary panel headed by deputy vice-chancellor for students affairs Prof Mohamed Mansor Abdullah.

The six — Yeo Tung Siong, Chong Wai Kuen, Ng Tee Neng, Lim Chong Hwee, Hwa Ser Piaw and Mohd Ariffin — were also required to write letters of apology to the deans of their respective faculties.

The hearing this morning started at 8.30 am and lasted about five hours, according to the source. The students were given 30 days to appeal.

In the memorandum to Suhakam, the students alleged that ballot boxes were tampered with during campus elections and nominations of several pro-establishment candidates were made under questionable circumstances.

Several student leaders also complained that they were served show-cause letters for airing their grievances to the media.

Meanwhile, a second hearing for another group of eight students was conducted later in the afternoon.

These students, including the four who were fined this morning, were charged for organising an illegal gathering when they protested against the alleged irregularities in their campus elections in the university compound last November.

Not investigated

The students submitted a memorandum and demanded a dialogue with the university on the matter. However, the students' allegations were not investigated.

A decision from the second panel, chaired by a residential college head, will only be known in two weeks.

It is also learnt that a group of former UTM graduates have sent a protest letter to vice-chancellor Prof Mohd Zulkifli Mohd Ghazali for hauling the students to a disciplinary hearing.

UTM had also been criticised by among others, the DAP and Suhakam, for taking action against the students for what they perceived as frivolous offences.

Suhakam commissioner Prof Hamdan Adnan had described UTM action against the students for bringing their case to the human rights body as "disrespectful" to Suhakam.



Malaysiakini
news and views that matter


Sign In