Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Members of the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) Yasmin's congregation from Bogor have been forced out of a meeting with the House of Representatives on Wednesday that was organized to solve the church's problems.

Congregation leaders were officially invited by the House to attend a meeting arranged by House Commissions II, III and VIII – which oversee regional autonomy, legal affairs and human rights, and religion respectively – but were forced to move out due to objections from some House members.

Some House members demanded that the members of GKI Yasmin leave the meeting because they represented neither the House nor the government. Others argued that it was unfair to allow members of the congregation to join the meeting without Bogor residents being represented.

After around 30 minutes of heated arguments, House Deputy Speaker Pramono Anung asked members of the congregation to leave the room. GKI Yasmin spokesperson Bona Sigalingging told the House members that the congregation would accept the decision.

"However, we are so disappointed with the decision to ask us leave the meeting because we have been officially invited to come. We leave the meeting as a show of respect to the institution of the House," he said.

The meeting was the fourth scheduled by the House to help solve years of controversy over the establishment of the GKI Yasmin church in Bogor, West Java. The three other meetings were cancelled because of the absence of government representatives.

Also attending Wednesday's meeting were Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi, West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan, Bogor Mayor Diani Budiarto and representatives from the National Police.

The local administration has for more than two years banned the congregation from using the church for religious services due to permit application issues. The local administration defied a 2010 Supreme Court ruling guaranteeing the congregation's right to hold services at the church.