Demolition of mosque, five churches dismays members

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Turning a blind to appeals from local people, officials in Curug, Tangerang, demolished five churches and one mosque on Wednesday on Jl. Danau Sentani Biru, Curug, in Tangerang.

The authorities argued that the places of worship were located on land owned by the State Secretariat.

The five churches were the Indonesian Protestant Church, the Indonesian Pentecostal Church, the HKBP Church, the Indonesian Halleluja Pentecostal Church and the Bethel Church of Indonesia.

Hundreds of public order officers from Tangerang regency arrived in Curug early Wednesday morning ready to demolish the churches, while dozens of congregation members stood guard in front of their respective houses of worship.

At around 11 a.m., the officers moved in to demolish the church buildings, while the outnumbered congregation members watched in disbelief.

Hendri Manalu, a spokesman for the Indonesian Protestant Church, said the churches should not have been demolished as they had been in existence for five years.

He said that the churches had never interfered with people living in nearby residential complexes or state buildings.

"At least, we would like them to delay the demolitions until after Christmas," Hendri said.

He said he suspected that the demolitions were connected with a proposal by a developer to build a housing complex in the area.

"In September, a developers had talks with us. They said they wanted to build a luxury housing complex on the land. They also said that they were from the State Secretariat," Hendri said.

A public order officer, however, denied that the demolitions had anything to do with a plan to construct a housing complex.

"We warned the churches several times to vacate the land. The longer they stay here the more difficult it is for us to evict them. So, we have to force them to leave as soon as possible," he said.