Be happy if you can still sound asleep at night without getting wet because of
the rain or getting bites from vicious mosquitoes. Be happy if you can still
worship during daytime. Be happy if you can still have a clean toilet rather
than queing at snakes pit. These are being experienced by 500 students of SETIA
Theological College (STT SETIA) in their refugee camp in Cibubur Camping
Ground, 400 students in Wisma Transito, East Jakarta and around 450 students in
the ex-West Jakarta Municipal Office. These sufferings have been endured for
two and a half months.
Rev. Dr. Matheus Mengentang, M.Th, the director of STT SETIA, told journalist
in Jakarta (on 6th of October) that he is very concerns for the well being of
the students. In Cibubur Camping Ground, they simply sleep on the ground under
the tent for two and a half months. Around 5 female students have to be carried
to hospital because of lung infection due to this. Meanwhile in the ex-West
Jakarta Municipal Office, 3 students have to be carried to hospital to have
their faeces sucked out from their colon because they have forced themselves
not to go to toilet for days since each time they have to queue over 50 other
students who wanted to go to the toilet. In Wisma Transito, the students can’t
worship during the day because there is a mosque near by, although the freedom
to worship according to respective religions has been granted in this country.
Cry out from Mangentang is very reasonable since after the STT SETIA’s students
have been driven away by force from their own campus in Kampung Pulo Kec
Makasar, East Jakarta, no organisation or from government’s side that is
willing to help.
Since last 21st September, local Jakarta government, through Mr. Bambang from
Kesbang, has said that they have given up in term of funding for the refugee
camp in Cibubur Camping Ground. The students have been asked to move to ex-West
Jakarta Municipal Office, although there have been 450 students with a very
concerning living condition there due to the limited clean water, the poor
sanitary facilities and other facilities.
In fact they only hoped that the local government will facilitate (in terms of
security) them to go back to their own campus. The campus is legally theirs and
they have all the official documents since they have been there since the past
21 years. Why they have to be driven out, just because they are christians,
said Mangentang.
Mangentang also said that before being driven out from their campus, they have
to endured very mean and humiliating words being shouted from the nearby
mosque’s loudspeaker, although in the past STT SETIA has helped the
construction of that mosque with hundreds sacks of cement, trucks of sands,
stones and iron. When they drove us out with force under police’s guard,
seventeen of our students became victims of being splashed with hot water,
being thrown with stones, sliced with sharp objects, stabbed with samurai,
splashed with acidic liquid (H2SO4) on their head, face and neck and bruised
because being hit and kicked a number of times. We are disappointed that this
happened in Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, which has declared as a
country that love peace. Those who endured the persecution are christians,
students of STT SETIA who came from majority Christians area of Nias, Kalbar,
Alor, Sumba, Mamasa, Atambua, dan Manado. Mangentang told
all this with tears on his eyes.
A few rumours saying that SETIA’s foundation had received billions of rupiahs
to relocate their campus but Mangentang said that is not true. They have never
received that money. They have clarified this issue with the late head of the
foundation as well as with the other officials of the foundation.
Mangentang hope that all parties will support their come back to their own
campus in Kampung Pulo Kec Makasar, East Jakarta. All this due to humanity
reason per se. As Director I can’t stand too see my students to suffer any
longer, said Mangentang. Enough is enough. Government, in this case, governor,
vice governor even President himself have made a statement that after Eid
al-Fitri we can go back to our own campus. Now after Eid al-Fitri, we asked for
the realisation of that promise,said Mangentang.
Chronological of the attack on students and STT SETIA campus in Jakarta 25th
–27th July 2008
Mosque become a place for provocation
Time and date: Friday, 25th July 2008
On Friday, 25th July 2008 around 9 pm a student of STT SETIA, Junius Koly from
Alor went out from the campus heading towards male dormitory in RT 04/RW 04
Kampung Pulo Pinang Ranti Makasar, East Jakarta. He walked through Melinjo
alley that separated SETIA’s campus and the male dormitory. On the way he saw a
rat, spontaneously he picked his sandals and throw it towards the rat.
Accidently, the sandals flew into one of the house in that alley. When Junius
wanted to take his sandals, suddenly someone shouted ‘thief’. In short period
of time the residents gathered and persecuted Junius, he was then handed to the
police.
On Saturday, 26th July 2008, after being examined, Junius was proofed to be
not guilty and he was handed back to SETIA. At 10 pm, a mass of people throwing
stones to the male dormitory of STT SETIA then from the mosque a shout for
jihad towards SETIA was provocated.
On Sunday, 27th July 2008, at 1 am, a mass of people destroyed and attacked
the female dormitory while shouting Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, they even tried
to burn it. This attack has made the female students terrified, they shouted
traumatically and ran about. At 3 am the people moved to SETIA main campus,
carrying sharp objects and stones while shouting that they will have a jihad
towards SETIA. At that time no counter attack from the students. They even pray
that those people will be aware of the crime that they are about to do and pray
may God bless those people. Until morning thousands of people have gathered and
closed all access to SETIA campus. The students became hostages and suffered
from hunger. The police seemed to be able to cool the people down and put them
under control.
At 9.30 pm, from the mosque can be heard a provocation to make the people ready
for jihad. The police that have arrived since morning seemed couldn’t do
anything, they even asked the students to be allert and to avoid any attack.
On Monday, 28th July 2008, Brimob from Polda Metro Jaya not even arrested the
attackers and provocators, on the other hand forcing female students of SETIA
to be evacuated. While being evacuated the female students were thrown with big
stones that some of them were wounded on their heads and bodies. The police not
even asked the attackers to stop or drove them away. The same thing happened to
the male students when they were evacuated. They were thrown with sharp bamboo,
being hit, stabbed, splashed with acidic liquid. Until this time one of the
student is still in a critical condition in the hospital because his head was
splashed with acidic liquid.
Since that day, the inhabitants of STT SETIA have to leave their campus that
has been inhabited since 21 years ago. They were driven away from the land and
the building that is legally theirs. They were humiliated, kicked, stabbed,
only because they are christians. They were not being consideres as legal
citizens with the same right and place in the law and in the government.
(As told by Rev. Matheus Mangentang and Rev. Edison Djama to Hendra Kasenda)
17 victims from STT Setia. (They choose not to fight back instead they pray and
being submissive since they are God’s servant, candidates for pastors and
educators. Actually they can fight back but they choose to follow Jesus’
teaching, ‘if anyone slap your left cheek, give him your right cheek and pray
for those who persecute you’.)
Ardian from Sumba suffered on his right shoulder due to the splashing of acidic
liquid.
Marthen Lalo from Sumba being thrown with stone on his right forehead and being
hit a number of times on the back of his head
Gabriel Besi from Atambua being sliced with a ‘clurit’ (a kind of knife
normally used for harvesting) on his head and both arms.
Jupiter from Atambua being sliced with samurai (Japanese sabre) on his shoulder
and stabbed with sharp bamboo on his abdomen.
Lukas from Manado being splashed with acidic liquid on his head, face and neck.
Yunus from Alor being splashed with acidic liquid on his neck and shoulder and
being thrown with stone.
Ramaeli from Nias being thrown with stone, injuring his face and head.
Disiplin from Nias being splashed with acidic liquid, injuring his shoulder.
Demaus from Luwu Sulawesi being thrown with stone, injuring his head.
Henok from North Sumatra being stabbed on his neck with sharp bamboo.
Kristian from Mamasa being splashed with acidic liquid on his whole body.
Alfred from Kalbar being thrown with stones.
Gabriel Umbi from East of Nusa Tenggara being kicked a number of times on his
left tight.
Oktavianus from Maluku being kicked a number of times on his back.
Yohanes from Sumba injured on his head, being hit by a hard object.
Daniel from Sumba being hit by wood.
Salmon from North Sulawesi injured on his head.
DO NOT BE OVERCOME BY EVIL, BUT OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD (ROMANS 12:21)
JANGANLAH KAMU KALAH TERHADAP KEJAHATAN, TETAPI KALAHKANLAH KEJAHATAN DENGAN
KEBAIKAN ! (ROMA 12:21)
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