Rival church groups clash, 5 injured

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)