VIVAnews - As many as 200 hundreds people broke into a home allegedly used for praying in Pondok Timur Indah, Bekasi, tens of kilometers away from the Indonesian capital Jakarta. The crowd called on the Christians to no longer use the house as a praying venue.
The furious party surrounded the scene at around 7 a.m to 8.30 a.m in the morning. "They said they were on behalf of the local inhabitants. But I don't see any familiar faces," said preacher Luspita Simanjuntak during an interview with VIVAnews on Sunday, Feb 7.
Ms Luspita said the clash between her community and the local people began 19 years ago. They praying house has always been under quarrel. In 2004, people tore down the building to the ground.
"We build the church on our own land," she said.
She conceded that the house has never been granted a building permit. "200 inhabitants said yes to the development. However, when the building was there in 2004, it was knocked down [by the people]," she said.
The current house, according to Ms Luspita, is only used for three years. "No permit has been issued yet," she said.
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Translated by: Bonardo Maulana Wahono
