Buddhist temple caretakers turn down expulsion order

Buddhist temple caretakers turn down expulsion order

BOGOR (JP): A team of officials from the Bogor District Court
and the city's social and political office called off on
Wednesday a planned eviction of two caretakers from the Ho Tek
Bio Vihara (Buddhist temple) after one threatened to commit
suicide.

The two women, identified as Sukmawati Tanos, also known as
Selvi, and her sister, Suryawati Tanos, were ordered by the court
to leave the temple following an ongoing internal dispute with
the local Buddhist community. Both women had reportedly been
working in the temple for about 29 years.

The dispute started in 1997 when Selvi was accused by Buddhist
members of an alleged involvement in a series of swindles of the
temple's funds as well as selling temple property, such as
candles and prayer necessities.

"I will not leave this temple till the day I die! I'd rather
kill myself and die here," said Suryawati, holding a kitchen
knife in her hand.

Hundreds of onlookers, mostly members of the local Buddhist
community, had gathered around the temple.

Upon seeing the hysterical caretakers, officials quickly
interrupted, grabbed the knife from Suryawati and secured both of
them.

The officials postponed the eviction until next week. Details
on the court order, however, were not available.

"The law must be enforced. They must leave!" shouted angry
Buddhist members, who threatened to enter the temple and evict
the two women.

The temple's Buddhist leader, Djihon Atmaja, reiterated that
the order must be carried out. "We must follow the court order."

Two foundations who own the temple, the Dana Gun and the
Rejeki and Kebajikan, have repeatedly asked Selvi to leave, but
she refused, saying that she had taken care of the temple since
her father worked there in 1969.

"I've tried to talk to her from the heart, but she refuses to
listen," Anton Santoso, the head of the Rejeki and Kebajikan
Foundation, said.

Buddhist members were reportedly tired of Selvi's attitude of
treating the temple as her house over the years.

"According to the rule, a caretaker can serve for only two
years ... we did not dare expel her then because we respect her
parents," said a Buddhist member who asked not to be named.

The eviction is being handled by the Bogor administration
pending further talks between the concerned parties. (21/edt)