KUALA LUMPUR: The students who caused a ruckus in the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) canteen on July 17 (2006) will be let off with an "advice".

After a three-week probe into the incident, UPM vice-chancellor Prof Dr Nik Mustafa R. Abdullah said the students would only be adviced not to repeat their behaviour.

"We will call the students and advice them that we have to respect each other. This is the university's responsibility to educate them rather than punishing them," he told a packed press conference in the university today (Aug 18, 2006).

Pressed by reporters that the action taken was too lenient, he reiterated: "We are an educational society. We have to instil moral value.. Everyone stands a chance. We have to educate them."

"We are not lenient. But we want to educate them. Don't make judgment just because of this incident. Give them another chance."

On July 17 (2006), several students from the UPM Student Progressive Front (SPS) -an unregistered student body which is deemed as anti-establishment - were allegedly "manahandled"by a group of 50 students led by a student council leader.

The incident was recorded in a video-clip which was posted on the internet.

After the incident was reportedby theSun, a press conference was called in which Nik Mustafa got two groups of students - all from the same student council - to shake hands, including the student leader, for a media photo session to symbolise harmony in the campus.

No SPS students were called in the press conference.

On July 22 (2006), under the directive of Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed, UPM set up a five-member committee of inquiry comprising the university's lecturers to probe the incident.

The result of the investigation, read out by Nik Mustafa today (Aug 18, 2006) are:

> Both groups of students breached codes of discipline;
> Apparent evidence showed that the incident did not involve racial elements;
> There was no physical fight or physical injuries; and
> It's a 'localised' incident as other students around the area were not affected.

He reiterated that only 30 students were involved in the incident and only 11 of them were positively identified.

He said the university would not reveal the investigation report in full and that the report has been submitted to the minister.

Nik Mustafa also denied allegations that UPM had backed the student leaders responsible for the ruckus.

"No. We didn't see whether they were student union leaders or not. We see all of them as UPM students. We don't differentiate them. If we categorise them, then the investigation would not be transparent."

To a question that a UPM student who was at the scene as an intern of Chinese news website Merdeka Review fell and broke her camera after being pushed, Nik Mustafa insisted that the student confessed that she on her own.

When pointed out the video clip could tell she was pushed, he said: "The video-clip is subject to interpretation.'

He said security at the university had been beefed up to prevent a similar incident from recurring.