Kampung tense after cult murders<\/p>\n
BOGOR (JP): The situation in Kampung Nanggela in the village
\nof Sukmajaya in the Bojong Gede district here remained tense on
\nTuesday following the murder of three cult members by fellow
\ncultists on Friday.<\/p>\n
Residents were seen guarding their neighborhood and
\nquestioning strangers entering the area, worried about possible
\nretaliation from families of the victims.<\/p>\n
Besides the three fatalities, the cultists also wounded two
\nother members of the Prabu (The Sovereign) Tommy cult.<\/p>\n
A villager who asked for anonymity told The Jakarta Post on
\nTuesday that locals residents were angry because cult members
\noften mocked them.<\/p>\n
\"And many (Muslims) who used to pray ended up quitting their
\nprayers once they joined the cult,\" the villager said.<\/p>\n
In the bloody incident on Friday, the cultists and local
\nresidents attacked the home of local cult leader Saiman Koto
\nafter his prophesied Sept. 9 doomsday failed to pass.<\/p>\n
The mob attacked the home at 6:30 p.m. after Saiman failed to
\nexplain his false predictions to a local ulema.<\/p>\n
At the time of the attack, there were 14 people in the house,
\nincluding Saiman's family and four guests.<\/p>\n
Saiman and the ulema ended up in a fierce argument, and angry
\nresidents, including members of the cult, who were waiting
\noutside the home asked the Muslim cleric to leave the area.<\/p>\n
After the ulema left, the mob, led by former cult member
\nKasim, attacked the home.<\/p>\n
The three people who died in the incident were identified as
\nSyarif, 45, Darmawan Yapati, alias Wawan, 27, and Herry Bana, 30.<\/p>\n
Saiman and another cult member, Anwarudin, escaped with severe
\ninjuries.<\/p>\n
Reports said one of the victims was stabbed to death by a
\nsharpened bamboo stem.<\/p>\n
Kasim told the Post on Tuesday he joined the cult after being
\npromised employment as a gold miner.<\/p>\n
\"I was promised work as a miner in one of Prabu Tommy's gold
\nmines in the Peti mountains of Cikotok, Pelabuhan Ratu in West
\nJava,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Kasim said the cult had existed since 1977.<\/p>\n
According to residents and cult members, Saiman repeatedly
\npredicted the end of the world at 9 a.m. on Sept. 9, 1999.<\/p>\n
Kasim said Saiman told his followers the end would be marked
\nby the arrival of a typhoon and heavy rains that would inundate
\nthe land so only the tip of the National Monument in Jakarta
\nwould be visible above the water.<\/p>\n
Bogor is about a 30-minute drive from the capital.<\/p>\n
Cultists sold their personal belongings before locking
\nthemselves in their homes, as instructed by Saiman, covering
\nevery crack in their houses to keep out all light.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, families of the victims were still grieving their
\nloved ones. Darmawan's brother-in-law Agus regretted the
\nresidents' decision to take the law into their own hands.<\/p>\n
\"Darmawan was a good man. He was diligent in praying. I never
\nknew that he was involved with a cult because everything was
\nnormal,\" Agus said.<\/p>\n
Darmawan's pregnant wife Rini is shocked by the incident and
\nis having difficulty accepting her husband's death. According to
\nrelatives, she has been awaiting her husband's return to their
\nhouse since the attack.<\/p>\n
Anwarudin's wife Endang is dealing with her grief by staying
\naway from her house to avoid gossiping neighbors.<\/p>\n
Anwarudin has been in hiding since the attack and has refused
\nto speak with anyone. (21\/edt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kampung-tense-after-cult-murders-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}