Rival church groups clash, 5 injured

JAKARTA (JP): At least five people were injured in a clash involving two rival camps of the rift-ridden Sumatra-based Toba Batak Christian Church (HKBP) on Saturday, church and police sources report.

Police sources said that 10 people have been detained for questioning.

The clash involved supporters of bishop P.W. Simanjuntak and those of bishop S.A.E. Nababan that Simanjuntak ousted in a 1993 congress in Medan, North Sumatra.

The incident happened at about 1 a.m. Saturday when dozens of Simanjuntak supporters were trying to occupy the church building on Jl. Sudirman, which is controlled by Nababan loyalists.

Police, overly cautious about giving a statement, said they stayed away from the scene because the conflict was an "internal problem" of Indonesia's largest church, which has about three million members across Indonesia.

"This is their internal problem and we hope they can solve it without external interference," chief of South Jakarta police precinct, Lt. Col. S.Y. Wenas, told The Jakarta Post after meeting with church members on Saturday evening.

The incident was only one of the many conflicts plaguing the church. Earlier this week, a church member was reportedly killed in a brawl in North Sumatra.

The animosity dates back to 1992 when a church congress failed to elect a new bishop to replace Nababan. The following bitter dispute among the well-known, hot-blooded Bataks provoked military intervention.

Since then Nababan loyalists, refusing Simanjuntak, have been seeking an extraordinary congress so that the church can elect their leader in a "democratic" manner.

Eyewitnesses said the 30-minute attack started when over 600 people, many armed with knives and stones, arrived at the scene on 17 minibuses. They rushed forward though military and police personnel were already deployed at the premises.

Church member E. Sinaga said he saw several people injured by flying stones. "Two of them are still being treated," he said.

Wenas, however, said that the Setia Budi police sub-precinct was "collecting data and information" from a number of people involved in the dispute.

"None have been arrested," he said.

Police sources, however, told the Post that 10 people from the opposing camps are being held for questioning at the Setia Budi sub-precinct. (bsr)