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tma Jaya Catholic University in Jakarta has announced that it will form a fact-finding team to look into the death of 18-year-old Daniel Vicli Pardamean Tambunan, a student who died during an extracurricular paramilitary training event at the university.

Deputy Atma Jaya rector Makdin Sinaga said that the university would form the team to ascertain the cause of Daniel'€™s death internally before deciding whether to refer the case to the police.

'€œIt hasn'€™t come to [reporting the case to the police], as the case is related to an extracurricular activity at our university,'€ Makdin told reporters at the university on Monday.

He added that the team, which includes students and lecturers from different departments at the university, would begin investigating on Monday.

'€œI will lead the team myself,'€ he said, adding that sanctions would be meted out to any parties found to have violated procedures.

When asked whether Daniel'€™s death was related to the training, Makdin said he was unable to speculate and that the university would wait for the team'€™s finding before making an official statement regarding the cause of the student'€™s death.

'€œThat is just speculation among students. We do not want to speculate,'€ he said.

Separately, Makdin was quoted by tempo.co on Monday as saying that Daniel might have died of an existent disease unrelated to the paramilitary training.

'€œIt appears he was sick, though we don'€™t know what disease he had,'€ he said.

The law student was scheduled to take part in the university'€™s extracurricular paramilitary training from Thursday to Sunday. On Saturday, he fell sick and was taken to be treated at the Jakarta Hospital near the university'€™s campus in Central Jakarta.

Meanwhile, Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. M. Iqbal said that the police would look into the case after being given the findings of the university fact-finding team.

'€œIn principle, we will keep an eye on the case. We will launch our investigation if the team finds any irregularity around the student'€™s death. We understand that the student had a history of disease, but for now we'€™re just waiting,'€ Iqbal explained on Tuesday.

He added that the cause of the student'€™s death would be officially confirmed by medical test results, in addition to the results of the university team'€™s investigation.

University paramilitary training and mountaineering club initiation often involve rigorous physical exercise.

In January this year, a student, Piky Puspitasari, died during paramilitary training at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta.

UGM spokesperson Wijayanti said that Piky had lost consciousness on the second day of training, dying some hours later. The training that day had involved cable gliding, Wijayanti said.

Last year in Palopo in South Sulawesi a student at Cokroaminoto Palopo University, Ahmad Hasdi, drowned in the Lambatu Walenrang River during basic training for the university mountaineering club. (saf)