Seven suspended university students, acquitted of an illegal assembly charge last week, today demanded that the government and their respective universities apologise for treating them like criminals even before the court had reached a decision.

"We want them to withdraw the malicious statements made against us and to apologise," said Helman Sanuddin, a spokesperson for the group, dubbed the 'ISA 7'.

Helman, a former Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) student, recalled that he and fellow-student Rafzan Ramli, had been labelled 'traitors' by the university after they were charged in court.

Helman, 28, had to put his studies on hold for four years because of the trial. He was to have completed his bachelor's degree in 2002.

"We are still in discussions with our lawyers to file a civil suit against these parties, to seek compensation of damages for what we had lost over the four years," he said when contacted.

Helman said the seven will send separate letters to their respective universities at the earliest opportunity to ask for reinstatement. The new academic year for local universities - which are currently on a semester break - is expected to commence in July.

Last Friday, the Kuala Lumpur magistrate's court found that the prosecution had failed to establish that the seven had organised and participated in an anti-Internal Security Act (ISA) demonstration outside the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur on June 8, 2001.

All seven had been banned from attending classes by the four universities - UiTM, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Universiti Malaya (UM) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

Previously, they had appealed to the Education Ministry but then education minister Musa Mohamed said they could only be reinstated if they apologised .

Legal challenge ?

One of their lawyers, Edmund Bon, when contacted, said the seven had been advised to look into the possibilities of challenging the constitutionality of the provisions in the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) which empower the universities to suspend them.

"They can seek compensation for damages which will be measured by the amount of wages they could have earned if they had not been suspended. However, we must get over the hurdle of the provisions in the UUCA first," he said.

The UUCA has long been criticised as curbing academic freedom and breaching fundamental liberties such as freedom of expression and association.

Rafzan and another co-accused Wan Sanusi Wan Mohd Noor expressed their intention to ask for reinstatement, but said their financial status could prove to be a hurdle in continuing their studies.

Wan Sanusi, 29, who is married and running his own business, was studying economics and administration at UM.

"Of course it will be my first priority to complete my degree. But I now have a family - my wife is not working and my second child was just born today," he said.

"They are all financially dependent on me and that will be my main consideration. I'm pessimistic that the university will provide any financial assistance."

Nevertheless, he has written a letter which will be sent to the university to inform it of his acquittal and to seek reinstatement. Copies will also be sent to the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia and the higher education ministry.

Wan Sanusi said he felt "inferior" because of the suspension, since many of his peers have graduated and started work.

Rafzan expressed hope that he could esume studying at any university.

"I just hope the seven of us will not be blacklisted by any public university," he said.

UiTM deputy vice-chancellor Prof Dr Nasuddin Othman could not be reached for comment while UTM vice-chancellor Prof Dr Alias Mohd Noor reserved comment pending receipt of an official reinstatement request from the students.

Several groups have welcomed the court's decision to acquit the seven, but called for redress such as compensation and scholarships for them.