No eye for an eye for Desriyanti Tengkende

No eye for an eye for Desriyanti Tengkende

Duncan Graham , Contributor, Surabaya

The impact of sectarian violence resonates long after the event,
as Desriyanti Tengkende knows only too well.

The distressed high school teenager from Palu, Central
Sulawesi, is far from her home and friends. She is no longer
studying. Her future is uncertain, her once-pretty face
permanently damaged. She is in pain but will live.

The masked gunmen who fired into the Sunday evening service of
the Effatha Presbyterian Church in Palu with automatic weapon
fire last July were "calm and professional" according to
Indonesian police.

One bullet cut through Desri's fingers at the moment she
raised her hands to her face in the traditional Christian gesture
of thanksgiving. She had just started singing a hymn.

The projectile then took out her left eye and sliced through
the bridge of her nose. If it had been a centimeter to
the right this story would not have been written.

The preacher, Susianti Tinulele, 29, was hit in the head as
she was finishing her sermon. She died instantly from appalling
wounds, slumped across the pulpit in front of her 400-strong
congregation. Four others including Desri were wounded. It was
one of many incidents that have reportedly claimed more than
1,000 lives since the year 2000 in the troubled province.

The then President, Megawati Sukarnoputri, called for calm.
She asked the Christian community not to inflame the situation
and make it worse for the police investigation. Her request was
obeyed.

National police chief Da'i Bachtiar was involved in the
inquiry. But nine months after the shooting no one has been
charged.

Now Desri, 17, lies in the Naval Hospital in the East Java
capital, Surabaya, recovering from further surgery conducted in
early April.

Her mother, Yasmin Luke, has returned to Palu to care for her
other seven children. Her father, Ersan Tengkende, a health
worker, remains to comfort his daughter.

Despite Desri's trauma and the terrible impact the shooting
has had on his family, Pak Ersan said he has forgiven the
attackers. So has the priest at the Palu church, Pastor Jetroson
Rense.

Although there are vengeful passages in the Bible calling for
an eye for an eye Pastor Jetroson said the congregation preferred
to concentrate on the message of reconciliation and pray for the
gunmen, believed to be Islamic extremists.

"We have to live in peace with Muslims," he said. "They are
our neighbors. We have no feelings of retribution. Unfortunately,
the police investigation has been hampered by people fearing to
speak out."

After the shooting Desri and the other victims were treated at
the local hospital, but the teenager's wounds were so serious she
had to be transferred south. Funds for her family's air fares
and surgery were raised by the congregation with help from an
American charity.

However, a follow-up operation on her eye socket and nose was
required so she has had to return to Surabaya. She is still
trying to get used to using a false eye, which causes some
discomfort.

"We don't know when she will be fit enough to go home," said
her father. "I hope she will eventually be able to return to
school and finish her studies.

Like the church, my family is not interested in revenge. We
only wish to live in peace."

Pastor Jetroson said that this July the Palu church would hold
a major service to remember the shooting and pray for a united
and more peaceful Indonesia.