No deal reached on church row
No deal reached on church row
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
After two days of discussions, Muslim and Christian leaders in
Bekasi, West Java, have been unable to agree on a solution to the
closure of two churches in the area.
The former chairman of the Indonesia Communion of Churches
(PGI), Nathan Setiabudi, said on Monday the two sides would
continue their talks until Monday evening to try and reach an
agreement.
"We want the blockades to be removed. If they do not want to
do that then find us a place where we can hold services. We will
accept any solution as long as we get places of worship," he told
The Jakarta Post.
About 500 members of the HKBP and Gekindo churches in the Jati
Mulya housing complex in Bekasi, West Java, were forced to hold
Sunday services in the street after members of the Islamic
Defenders Front (FPI) blockaded the churches since Saturday.
No clashes occurred during the services as about 100 police
officers were deployed to the neighborhood.
Bekasi Police deputy chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Ritonga said the
talks, which started on Sunday and were headed by Fauzi on the
Muslim side and Maruli Lumban on the Christian side, and included
several police officers and officials from the Bekasi
administration, were still under way.
He said local Muslims wanted the churches closed for good,
while Christians wanted to continue to hold services there.
Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Tjiptono said the police
were reviewing whether the closures were legal.
"We are still examining whether we can remove the blockades.
We can forcibly remove the blockades if we are sure that there is
enough evidence that the blockaders are illegal," he told the
Post.
He urged the Bekasi administration to decide quickly whether
to allow the churches to reopen or to close them for good to
avoid confusion and conflict.
Tjiptono said the fact that both churches had been operating
in the area for 15 years showed the administration was
indecisive.
"If they thought the churches should not have been there then
they should have done something in the first place. Now they have
to decide whether to issue permits or not, as both churches have
been requesting for years without answer," he said.
Many churches in Bandung and Jakarta have been forcibly closed
by hard-line Muslim groups, including the FPI and the Anti-
Apostasy Movement Alliance.
PGI leader Andreas A. Yewangoe complained to President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono about the closure of 23 churches in Bandung by
the hard-line groups since September 2004.
The Christian community has pointed to a 1969 joint
ministerial decree as the root of the problem.
The decree requires congregations wishing to build a house of
worship to obtain a permit from the head of the local
administration and to seek permission from local residents. With
Indonesia being predominantly Muslim, minority Christians often
have difficulty building churches, and instead use houses, shop-
houses or hotels to hold services.