©The
Sun (Used by permission)
by S. Tamarai Chelvi
KUALA LUMPUR: A Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) first–year student, whose
handphone, laptop and other personal items were seized by university security
offi cials, has brought his grouses to the Bar Council’s Human Rights Committee.
Yee Yang Yang, 20, a timber science technology student, handed a three–page memorandum to committee chairman Edmund Bon and his deputy, Amer Hamzah Arshad, at the Bar Council’s premises on Lebuh Pasar yesterday.
In the memorandum, Yee said the UPM’s special task officers’ action of entering his room and seizing his belongings last Friday, without his permission, was wrong under the law.
He said the withholding of his belongings was illegal and it was wrong for the university’s offi cers to threaten him during a question–and–answer session at a meeting room at UPM’s College 13 the same day.
Yee said he was disappointed with UPM’s actions and when the officials seized his belongings, they failed to produce a written statement that they had seized the items.
Bon appealed to the university to resolve the matter quickly and return Yee’s belongings.
Amer Hamzah said they will offer legal assistance if the matter prolonged but hoped the university would settle the “simple matter”.
Malaysia Youth and Students Democratic Movement representative Simon Ooi said they may lodge a report with the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) next week.
External coordinator of Gerakan Mahasiswa Maju UPM Lee Song Yong disputed the vice–chancellor’s media statement that Yee’s laptop contained pornographic material, saying that it was an unreasonable accusation.
Bernama quoted vice–chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Nik Mustapha R. Abdullah as saying the seizure of the laptop computer and other items belonging Yee was not aimed at frightening the students before the campus polls.
He said the action was taken because the student had contravened the university’s rules, including keeping obscene materials and articles published by unregistered associations.
The case had been brought before the students affairs division for further action, he said.