Kampung tense after cult murders

BOGOR (JP): The situation in Kampung Nanggela in the village of Sukmajaya in the Bojong Gede district here remained tense on Tuesday following the murder of three cult members by fellow cultists on Friday.

Residents were seen guarding their neighborhood and questioning strangers entering the area, worried about possible retaliation from families of the victims.

Besides the three fatalities, the cultists also wounded two other members of the Prabu (The Sovereign) Tommy cult.

A villager who asked for anonymity told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that locals residents were angry because cult members often mocked them.

"And many (Muslims) who used to pray ended up quitting their prayers once they joined the cult," the villager said.

In the bloody incident on Friday, the cultists and local residents attacked the home of local cult leader Saiman Koto after his prophesied Sept. 9 doomsday failed to pass.

The mob attacked the home at 6:30 p.m. after Saiman failed to explain his false predictions to a local ulema.

At the time of the attack, there were 14 people in the house, including Saiman's family and four guests.

Saiman and the ulema ended up in a fierce argument, and angry residents, including members of the cult, who were waiting outside the home asked the Muslim cleric to leave the area.

After the ulema left, the mob, led by former cult member Kasim, attacked the home.

The three people who died in the incident were identified as Syarif, 45, Darmawan Yapati, alias Wawan, 27, and Herry Bana, 30.

Saiman and another cult member, Anwarudin, escaped with severe injuries.

Reports said one of the victims was stabbed to death by a sharpened bamboo stem.

Kasim told the Post on Tuesday he joined the cult after being promised employment as a gold miner.

"I was promised work as a miner in one of Prabu Tommy's gold mines in the Peti mountains of Cikotok, Pelabuhan Ratu in West Java," he said.

Kasim said the cult had existed since 1977.

According to residents and cult members, Saiman repeatedly predicted the end of the world at 9 a.m. on Sept. 9, 1999.

Kasim said Saiman told his followers the end would be marked by the arrival of a typhoon and heavy rains that would inundate the land so only the tip of the National Monument in Jakarta would be visible above the water.

Bogor is about a 30-minute drive from the capital.

Cultists sold their personal belongings before locking themselves in their homes, as instructed by Saiman, covering every crack in their houses to keep out all light.

Meanwhile, families of the victims were still grieving their loved ones. Darmawan's brother-in-law Agus regretted the residents' decision to take the law into their own hands.

"Darmawan was a good man. He was diligent in praying. I never knew that he was involved with a cult because everything was normal," Agus said.

Darmawan's pregnant wife Rini is shocked by the incident and is having difficulty accepting her husband's death. According to relatives, she has been awaiting her husband's return to their house since the attack.

Anwarudin's wife Endang is dealing with her grief by staying away from her house to avoid gossiping neighbors.

Anwarudin has been in hiding since the attack and has refused to speak with anyone. (21/edt)