Indonesia: GKI Yasmin church mass disrupted by protest

Indonesia: GKI Yasmin church mass disrupted by protest

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 01/22/2012 11:16 AM

A Sunday mass being held at the house of a congregation member at the Taman Yasmin complex, and which was being attended by around 50 members of the the GKI Yasmin church, was forced to stop when a group of protesters arrived and demanded that the congregation halt the service.

Hendrik, one of the congregation members whose house is located only one kilometer from the location of the church, said that they had performed the mass at his house since the church premises had been sealed by the Bogor municipal  administration.

“We use the house as we have no other place to pray," Hendrik was quoted as saying by kompas.com on Sunday.

According to Hendrik, a group of protesters arrived shouting and insisted that the congregation, mostly women and children, stop their mass.

Hendrik said that representatives from the congregation had already informed the police about the mass.

"The police were informed about the Sunday event," he said.

Bogor Police did deploy some officers to prevent the protesters from entering the house. The congregation has been unable to conduct regular church services for more than two years since the Bogor city administration revoked a church building permit it had previously approved.

In reviewing the case, the Supreme Court last year ruled against the Bogor administration, ordering it to reopen the church; however, Bogor Mayor Diani Budiarto remains defiant.

The Indonesian Ombudsman’s office also recommended that the Bogor city administration revoke its 2011 decree, which annulled the church’s construction permit. (dmr)