K.Mageswaran, K.Vasudevan and T. Nathan named as defendants the headmasters of Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil (SJKT) Mambang Diawan and SJKT Gopeng; the head of the Kinta Selatan district education office; the Perak State Education Department director; Kampar District Council president; Perak Public Works Department director and the commandant of the 1Malaysia Camp in Kuala Dipang.

Others are the donor of the suspension bridge that collapsed in the tragedy GS Synergy Sdn Bhd, CWL Enterprise which is the contractor responsible for the construction of the bridge, the Education Minister and the Government of Malaysia.

The suit was filed through the law firm of Messrs A.Sivanesan & Co. at 10.22 am today the High Court registrar's office here.

Besides seeking RM35 million in general damages for each of the victim, the plaintiffs respectively also want RM19,120 in special damages, RM100,000 in exemplary damages, interest at eight per cent from the date of the children's drowning till the realisation of payments, costs and other relief deemed fit by the court.

Among others, the plaintiffs cited lack of lighting in the area, lack of supervision by the persons responsible for the safety of the pupils attending the 1Malaysia camp in Kuala Dipang organised by the Kinta Selatan district education office , non-provision of life jackets and not ensuring that the bridge was safe for use as contributing to the deaths of their children.

Their children, M. Devatharshini, 11, V. Divyashree, 12, and N. Dinadevi, 11, drowned in the Kampar River after they fell into it when the suspension bridge collapsed as they were crossing it together with scores of other pupils attending the camp.

In an immediate reaction, Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said the parents had the right to file the suit.

"We (government) cannot stop them from pursuing this action as they lost their loved ones in the tragedy," he told reporters here today.

However, he cautioned against the tragedy being used for political mileage and some people trying to be "champions" in the matter.

On another matter, Zambry said the state government was in the process of working out a mechanisn to channel education aid of RM200 for each child born in Perak next year and that it would most likely be in the form of a savings account. -- Bernama