Soleman, a student at Arastamar Theological College (Setia), longs to go back to his campus and dorm in Kampung Pulo, East Jakarta.

He and some 470 students are now staying at the Transito guest house in Pondok Kelapa, East Jakarta, following a campus evacuation to avoid further clashes with residents of a nearby neighborhood.

LONGING FOR STUDY TIME: A student of Arastamar Theological College (Setia) studies last week among dozing classmates at the House of Representatives in Central Jakarta. (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)

"I came from Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara, to study on campus. I want to become a teacher, but how can I study in these conditions?" asked Soleman, who is in his seventh semester, majoring in elementary education.

"I don't know what exactly we did wrong. We never harmed the residents," the 22-year-old said.

He and his classmates spent most of their time at school, adhering to tight schedules, he added.

"After going to class on campus, we immediately return to our dormitory to study. If we have any spare time, we usually play takraw (a game involving a bamboo-woven ball) or badminton on the campus yard," Soleman said, adding he sometimes visited Jakarta's tourist spots, such as Ancol and the National Monument, on holidays.

"We never come home after 10 p.m. because those who don't obey the curfew are punished. Every dormitory has a strict policy on this," he added.

Another student, Rudi, shared a similar sentiment.

"We rarely hang out with our friends (or residents) because we have so much studying to do, both on campus and in the dorm. I always try to be nice to residents from the area," the West Kalimantan native said.

Around 1,200 Setia students are currently staying off campus, including hundreds of students, mostly women, who are lodging at Graha Bethel church on Jl. Ahmad Yani in Central Jakarta.

The conflict began two weeks ago when a student allegedly stole from a resident's home. Five campus dormitories and boarding houses were evacuated the following day, as tension escalated between students and residents.

The school's female and male dormitories were heavily damaged, with at least 21 residents and students injured during the confrontation and subsequent evacuation.

According to residents of Kampung Polo, religious differences were not to blame for the clash, as the Muslim-dominated neighborhood had accepted students of other religions for more than a decade.

A neighborhood community head, Slamet, said Saturday's clash was sparked when residents caught a student trying to steal a water pump.

Over the past year, students have been caught stealing a resident's bird as well as a motorcycle, he added.

"I don't know why they try to take residents' belongings. Students don't behave as well as they did in the past," Slamet said.

"Students and campus staff used to be polite and friendly when the college first opened up. We used to ask students to participate in neighborhood sporting events, such as soccer and volleyball games.

"It's not about religious or ethnic differences. It's more about their disturbing behavior," he added.

Deky Nggagas, a male dormitory head and Setia lecturer, denied the allegations of theft.

"Some residents accused a student from Sumba of stealing a motorcycle about a year ago. The residents made up the story. He wasn't guilty. He couldn't even ride a motorcycle," Deky said.

The campus management has always enforced strict rules at the school and inside the dorms, he added.

"There's a curfew for all students, which we're very strict about. We punish any student who doesn't abide by it," Deky said.

"As a dormitory head, I myself cannot enter or leave the dormitory past 10 p.m.," he added.

East Jakarta deputy head Adj. Sr. Comr. Herry Purnomo confirmed residents reported a male student for allegedly stealing a resident's bird just before the clash.

"But we released the student because he was proven innocent. Residents might have accused him of theft, but we couldn't detain a person without evidence," Herry said.

"The residents also told me this was the second time a student tried to steal a pet bird, but they didn't the first incident. Based on our records, there's no report of a motorcycle being stolen in the area," he added.

Besides disturbing behavior, residents have been irked that dormitory heads rarely provide updated information on the number and population of dormitories to neighborhood heads, Slamet said.

"They used to regularly report the number of students living in each dormitory to community heads, but they rarely do it now," he added.

Deky denied the statement, saying he and other dormitory heads always report information on students to neighborhood or community unit heads.

Business interests may have helped fuel the clash between residents and students.

Sukowaluyo Mintoraharjo, chairman of the Bina Setia Indonesia foundation, said before the clash land plots on the campus were highly valued.

The campus is near a housing complex owned by a developer, with a golf course in close proximity.

A property agency approached campus officials about buying the college's land about eight or 10 years ago, Sukowaluyo added. There were no negotiations at the time and campus management told them it would be better to look for other locations.

Several residents of Kampung Pulo were unaware of the proposed buyout.

"I've never heard anything about that. The residents and I just hope the students will be relocated. We don't want them to come back to our kampung. We don't want them here," said Slamet.

Others chose not to comment on the issue.

"Well, I'll just leave that decision to the kampung's leaders, who are in charge of this case. I just want to live in peace and harmony," said Yati, who lives near one of the male dormitories.

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