I

NDONESIA: Hundreds of people mobbed the Huria Kristen Batak Protestan (HKBP) church under construction in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, on Friday, calling for the project to be halted.

The crowd claimed the church did not have a permit to build in the area and spent an hour yelling abuse at the churchgoers and pastor. No injuries were reported.

North Sumatra Police spokesman Snr. Comr. Baharuddin Djafar, said the church had been secured and the local authority had mediated a meeting between the protesting residents and church officials.

The two sides, he said, were called to respect each. He said the incident flared up following the residents' long-held irritation with the church building, but he said the residents had not resorted to anarchism or physically damaging the church during their protest.

J.A. Ferdinandus, head of North Sumatra Churches, said the incident had ended amicably.