Rights commissions appeal to rival HKBP camps for restraint

JAKARTA (JP): The National Commission on Human Rights made an appeal for restraint yesterday to the rival camps of the strife ridden Toba Batak Protestant Church (HKBP) after a report that four people were killed in a recent clash in Riau.

Commission Secretary General Baharuddin Lopa told reporters that the commission will thoroughly examine and hopefully bring about a settlement to the conflict in the church.

He made the remarks after meeting with 50 members of the church who turned to the commission for help, saying that the violence has escalated in the weeks after Easter.

The followers of HKBP have been split into two camps: The supporters of the government-backed Bishop P.W.T. Simanjuntak and the rest of the congregation, who say Simanjuntak's election by an ABRI sponsored synod was unconstitutional and still consider S.A.E. Nababan the rightful bishop.

Rev. Robinson Butarbutar, who headed the HKBP delegation from the anti-Simanjuntak camp, said that last week there were clashes at separate villages in North Sumatra and Riau as the rival camps fought for the right to use the church.

The clash in the oil town of Duri, Riau, left four people dead, two from each side, Robinson said.

He said the violence began when pro-Simanjuntak supporters attacked a congregation in Duri and killed the first two.

Retaliation led to the other two deaths.

The HKBP delegation urged the commission yesterday to launch a fact finding mission on these violence incidents.

The HKBP delegates also complained that security officers occupied a church in Narumonda in the district of Porsea, North Sumatra, on Easter Day, where S.A.E. Nababan had been scheduled to lead mass.

Some 20,000 congregation members who were trying to get to the church were help up by the security officers, who also set up road blocks along the way to the church, they said. (09)