A young man and woman in Belapunranga village in Gowa regency, South Sulawesi, have been forced to marry in a traditional ceremony. Why would a young couple be forced to marry? They were caught alone together at a rambutan farm by local residents.
After being turned into the authorities by the people of the town, Manai, 20, and Sugiani, 19, were married on Monday in the presence of a Penghulu, a Muslim wedding official, with village officials and police also present.
The two were found to be alone together on the Rambutan farm on January 6 and had become a target for intimidation by local residents. After the drama made its rounds, the family of Sugiani confronted Manai's family and accused them of violating the customary law of Siri.
Siri is an old tradition of the people, it's not a very good tradition if it leads to forcing people to marry. "This is a problem of Siri. If not handled properly, it will lead to a disaster because it is related to the dignity of a family," according to Belapunranga village head Jafar Daeng Talli.
Police eventually intervened in the dispute when tensions between two families were at their worst. Under the guidance of police and village officials, the two families decided to wed their respective children.
Parangloe Police chief Adj. Comr. Abdul Majid says its just another job well done. "We have a problem-solving program, which aims to create order in society through persuasive and early conflict-prevention approaches."
<i>On Twitter:</i>
<a href="https://twitter.com/ErvinProduction">@ErvinProduction</a>
Tips? Info? Send me a message!
this is soo Pinoy!!