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ducation and Culture Minister Mohammad Nuh has ordered the establishment of an independent team to investigate the clash at Makassar State University (UNM) in Parangtambung on Thursday, in which two students were killed.

Nuh disclosed the matter during a meeting with leaders and student executive boards of state and private universities in Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Friday. The team will be coordinated by the director general of higher education and is made up of representatives from several other universities.

“The team’s recommendations will serve as a reference to impose sanctions against the UNM authorities. We are serious in this matter because it is related to people’s lives, as two students have been killed in the clash,” said Nuh.

The clash between students of the technical and art and design schools at the UNM campus in Parangtambung claimed the lives of two students. They were identified as Haryanto, from the automotive school’s class of 2008, and Rizki Munandar, a former student of the same school, also from the class of 2008.

Rizki dropped out of university because he failed to reach the minimum student’s performance index during the first four semesters. Rizki was last listed as a student from the Makassar Islamic University.

Nuh also paid a visit to the home of Haryanto’s family in Enrekang regency, South Sulawesi, to express his sympathy over the incident.

He said several options of sanctions would be imposed against universities that were involved in the clashes, be they state or private universities. The sanctions will be in accordance with the degree of offense.

The sanctions include closing the study program temporarily or permanently, downgrading the accreditation of the university and cutting assistance from the government. Sanctions will also be imposed against the rector, such as harsh reprimands and dismissal.

“We will enclose the sanctions in the ministerial regulation to serve as a reference for state and private universities, so there will no longer be clashes. We will not hesitate to place sanctions on erring universities,” said Nuh.

If the universities are unable to prevent clashes on campus, they might even be closed.

“It would be painful, but this is the way for us to stop all the problems and turn over a new leaf,” he added.

Nuh also expressed regret over the discovery of around 2.2 kilograms of marijuana at UNM’s arts and design school during a police operation on Friday.

The contraband was found together with other evidence in the form of a weighing device and a computer laptop, including Rp 30,000 (US$3.13) in cash.

Police also found dozens of liquor bottles and sharp weapons in the two schools when they combed the campus on Friday.

“I was really shocked to learn about the findings. This is like a slap in the face for the academic world. When we are trying to combat drug abuse, the campus has instead become a place for drug trafficking, especially in UNM, a campus which creates future teachers. I hope every campus learns from this and prevents drug abuse,” Nuh said.

Meanwhile, the Makassar City Police arrested two suspects on the campus. They are siblings, identified as ARL and ARM, and are currently being interrogated at the Makassar City Police headquarters.

When confirmed, Makassar City Police Sr. Comr. Erwin Triwanto said the suspects were arrested following the discovery of ARM’s wallet at the hospital compound, in which police found his student identification card and identity card.

“We immediately pursued ARM, but when we interrogated him, he told us that the person who stabbed the victim was his younger brother, ARL. We immediately arrested ARL at his house on Jl. Tanjung Raya, Makassar,” said Erwin.

ARL told investigators he stabbed the victim because he was furious that his brother, ARM, had been provoked by the deceased, Rizki, and the latter’s friends. ARL’s anger allegedly boiled over his brother was beaten by students from the technical school, which led him to become even more enraged to the point where he stabbed the victim.