B

EKASI: The parishioners of HKBP Filadelfia in Bekasi, West Java, have called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to return their right to worship peacefully in their church.

They said they were again confronted by police, public order officers and demonstrators during their Sunday service.

“The officers prohibited us from approaching the church. We tried to negotiate with them, but to no avail, so we just held the service on the street, quite far from the church,” Rev. Palti Panjaitan told a press conference on Monday.

Right before the service ended, he added, around 500 demonstrators suddenly came and surrounded them.

“We were trapped, we could not get out. The police finally helped us get away from the demonstrators, escorting us home safely,” he said.

Previously, the members of Filadelfia congregation joined with the members of the GKI Taman Yasmin congregation from Bogor to conduct a Sunday service in front of the Presidential Palace.

GKI Taman Yasmin’s members have regularly conducted their Sunday service in front of the palace since February.

The construction of HKBP Filadelfia’s church was halted by the Bekasi administration in 2010, claiming that residents living near the church site objected to it.

“We will join GKI Taman Yasmin’s service again next Sunday,” the reverend said.