On Wednesday, 16 September a centre where street children are given refuge under the care of Father Sandyawan Sumardi was attacked for two hours in the middle of the night by a gang calling themselves the Mosque Youth. They started kicking and beating the children as they were still sleeping, alleging that one of them had stolen a spy-mirror from a car and demanding that Father Sandyawan replace the "stolen property" by paying five million rupiahs.

They also accused Sandyawan and his Volunteer Team of spreading lies about the raping of Chinese women in May this year and accused the priest of being the rapist and of deliberately spreading false information in order to incriminate others.

Father (Romo) Sandyawan has faced threats and intimidation for some time and is having to sleep away from home for his own safety. The Team and Romo Sandyawan himself have been under extremely heavy pressure from the government and from other circles who are desperate to discredit the exposure of the rapes that took place in May. The situation has been further aggravated by a report published by Sidney Jones of the New York-based Human Rights Watch which cast doubt on the findings of the Team investigating the rapes.

She insists on checking on the rape victims herself without realising that the Team had given a strict undertaking not to expose the victims to further investigation and without accepting the need for a holistic approach to the victims. Romo Sandyawan and his Team need our prayers and support to tide them through these difficult times.

[Translated and summarised by Tapol]