NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT

___________ N o. 10- 1192

___________ DJ OKO S UT J I P T O, Pet i t i oner

v. A TTO RN EY G EN ER A L O F TH E U N I TED STA TES, R es pondent

___________________________________ O n Pet i t i on forR evi ew of an O r derof the B o a rd o f Im m ig ra tio n A p p e a ls ( A gencyN o. A 99- 941- 249) Im m ig ra tio n Ju d g e : H o n o ra b le J e f f re yL . R o m ig

____________________________________ Subm i t t ed U nderT hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

J ul y2, 2010 B efor e: R E N D E L L , H A R D I M A N and A L D I SE R T , C i r cui tJ udges

( O pi ni on fi l ed: J ul y14, 2010)

_________ OP I NI ON

_________ P E R C UR I AM Pet i t i onerDj oko Sut

j i pt o, pr ocee di ng pr o s e, s eeks r evi ew of a f i nal or derof r e mo v a l . F o rth e r e a s o n s th a tf o l l o w, we wi l l d e n yh i s p e t i t i o n f o rr e v i e w. I.2

Sut j i pt o, a nat i ve and c i t i zen of I ndones i a, ent er ed the U ni t ed St at es i n M ay2005 as a non- i m m i gr antvi s i t or . H e fa i l ed t o depart , and i n 2007, the D epart m entof H om el and Secur i ty( “D H S”) comm ence d r emoval pr ocee di ngs . Sut j i pt o appl i ed for a sy lu m a n d w ith h o ld in g o f re m o v a l p re d ica ted o n h is f e a r o f p e rse c u tio n b a se d o n h is s t atus as a ethni cal l yC hi nes e B uddhi s t . Sut j i pt o acknow l edged thathe had s uffe r ed no p a st p e rse c u tio n . H e d id tes tify , h o w e v e r, th a t h e a n d h is f a m ilyw e re p re se n t in I ndones i a i n 1998 dur i ng ant i - C hi nes e r i ot s . T heyw er e abl e t o r emai n unharm ed by s t ay i ng i ns i de thei rhom e fortw o w eeks . Sut j i pt o t es t i fi ed thathe fe ar s thathe w i l l be p e r s e c u t e d b yth e ma

j o r i tyM u s l i m p o p u l a t i o n i f h e i s r e tu rn e d t o I n d o n e s i a . He p re se n ted th e U n ited S tate s D e p a rtm e n t o f S tate ’s 2 0 0 7 C o u n tryR e p o rt o n H u m a n R ig h ts Pr act i ces i n I ndones i a, an expe r t ’ s aff i davi tatt es t i ng t o the r i s ks fac ed byethni c C hi nes e, and a s i m i l araff

i davi tfr om an off

i ci al atthe I nt ernat i onal R es cue Com m i t t ee. T he I m m i gr at i on J udge ( “I J ”) found Sut j i pt o’ s t es t i m onyt o be truthful , butdeni ed r el i ef. Fi r s t , the I J det erm i ned thatSut j i pt o’ s as y l um appl i cat i on w as unt i m el y , and that he had f ai l ed t o es t abl i s h el i gi bi l i tyforan exc ept i on t o the t i m e bar . T he I J al s o found thatSut j i pt o had fa i l ed t o demonstr at e anypas tper s ecut i on, and conc l uded thathe di d not qual i fyforw i thhol di ng of r emoval as he fa i l ed t o es t abl i s h thati tw as m or e l i kel ythan notthathe w oul d be per s ecut ed i f r eturned t o I ndones i a. T he B oar d of I m m i gr at i on A p p e a ls (“ B IA ” ) a g re e d w ith th e IJ’ s c o n c lu sio n s a n d a f f irm e d . S u tji p to f

iled a tim e ly p e titio n f o r r e v ie w .3 II. W e lac k juri sd ict ion u n d er 8 U . S . C . § 1 1 5 8 (a)(3) to re v iew the d en ial o f S u tj ipto’s asy lum ap p li ca ti o n as u n ti m ely . T arraw all yv . A sh cro ft, 3 3 8 F . 3 d 1 8 0 , 1 8 5 -86 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 3 ). In a n ye v e n t, S u tji p to d o e s n o t co n tes t th a t f in d in g . W e re tain ju risd ictio n to cons i derthe deni al of hi s appl i cat i on forw i thhol di ng of r emoval . See i d. “B eca us e the [B IA ] i m p li cit lyad o p ted th e f ind ing s o f th e Im m igrati o n Ju d g e w h il e d iscu ssing the IJ’s c o n c lu s io n s , w e re v ie w th e d e c is io n s o f b o th th e [ B IA ] a n d th e IJ .” Is s ia k a v . A tt’ yG e n ., 569 F. 3d 135, 137 ( 3d C i r . 2009) . W e r evi ew fac tual fi ndi ngs fors ubs t ant i al evi dence , s ee Bri s eno- Fl or es v. A t t ’ yG en. , 492 F. 3d 226, 228 ( 3d C i r . 2007) , uphol di ng them “unl es s anyr eas onabl e adj udi cat orw oul d be compel l ed t o concl ude t o the contr ary . ” 8 U . S. C . § 1252( b) ( 4) ( B ) ; s ee a l s o D i a v. A s hcr oft , 353 F. 3d 228, 249 ( 3d C i r . 2003) ( en b an c). III . S utj i pto does n ot chal l eng e t he IJ’ s and B IA ’s fi nd i ng that he di d n ot es t abli sh past p e rse c u tio n . H e a rg u e s in ste a d th a t th e ye rre d in f in d in g th a t h e h a d f

a iled to d e m o n stra te a l i kel i hood thathe w i l l be per s ecut ed i f r emoved t o I ndones i a. T o qual i fyfor w i thhol di ng of r emoval , an al i en mustes t abl i s h thati ti s m or e l i kel ythan notthathi s “l i fe orfr eedom w oul d be thr eat ened i n th[e] country[of r emoval ] beca us e of the al i en’ s r ace , r el i gi on, nat i onal i ty , m ember s hi p i n a part i cul ars oci al gr oup, orpol i t i cal opi ni on. ” 8 U . S. C . § 1231( b) ( 3) ( A ) ; T arr aw al l y , 338 F. 3d at186. Sut j i pt o need nots how thathe had4

been t ar get ed i ndi vi dual l yforper s ecut i on s o l ong as he “e s t abl i s hes thati n [I ndones i a] ther e i s a patt ern orpr act i ce of per s ecut i on of a gr oup of per s ons s i m i l ar l ys i tuat ed. ” 8 C . F. R . § 1208. 16( b) ( 2) ( i ) . “[T] o cons t i tut e a ‘ patt ern orpr act i ce, ’ the per s ecut i on of the gr oup m us tbe ‘ s y s t emi c, pervas i ve, oror gani zed. ’ ” Li e v. A s hcr oft , 396 F. 3d 530, 537 (3d C ir . 2 0 0 5 ) (cit ati o n s o m itted). W e agr ee w i th the I J and B I A thatSut j i pt o fai l ed t o m eethi s bur den of pr oof that h e i s e l i g i b l e f

o rwi th h o l d i n g o f

r e mo v a l . W e h a v e p r e v i o u s l yr e j e c t e d s i mi l a rc l a i ms fr om ethni cal l yC hi nes e C hr i s t i ans i n I ndones i a, r el y i ng i n parton C ountryR eport s for Ind o n esia f

o r 20 0 3 an d 2 0 0 4 . S ee W o n g v . A tt ’yG en . , 5 3 9 F . 3 d 2 2 5 , 2 3 3 -34 (3d C ir . 20 08 ); L i e, 39 6 F . 3d at53 7-38. I n those cases, w e no t ed thatviol ence a gainstC hinese C h ristia n s h a s d e c lin e d a n d th a t th e In d o n e sia n g o v e rn m e n t h a d tak e n ste p s to p ro m o te re lig io u s a n d e th n ic to ler a n c e . S e e W o n g , 5 3 9 F .3 d a t 2 3 4 ; L ie, 3 9 6 F .3 d a t 5 3 7 . In th is cas e, the I J and B I A not ed thatthe 2007 C ountryR eporti ndi cat es thatdi s cr i m i nat i on and har as s m entof ethni c C hi nes e cont i nues t o decl i ne and thatgovernm ent al r eform s have incre ase d reli g iou s an d cu ltu ral free d o m s. (A . R . 6 2 , 1 0 7 . ) W e d o n o te th at S u tj ipto’s e x p e rts d e sc rib e in sta n c e s o f d isc rim in a tio n , h a ra ss m e n t, an d v io len c e a g a in st e th n ic C hi nes e I ndones i ans and r el i gi ous m i nor i t i es . H ow ever , bas ed on ouri ndepende nt r evi ew of the r ecor d, w e ca nnotconcl ude thats ubs t ant i al evi dence compel s a conc l us i on thatther e i s a patt ern orpr act i ce of per s ecut i on of ethni c C hi nes e per s ons i n I ndones i a. Sut j i pt o t akes i s s ue w i th the I J ’ s and B I A ’ s r el i ance on W ong and Li e, beca us e the5

p eti ti o n ers in tho se c ase s w ere C h ri sti an s, n o t B u d d h ist s. T h e 2 0 0 7 C o u n tryR ep o rt s p e a k s g e n e r a l l yo f

th e e th n i c Ch i n e s e mi n o r i tyi n I n d o n e s i a a n d n o t e s c e r t a i n p r o b l e ms f a c in g re lig io u s m in o rities (A .R . 9 8 -1 0 0 , 1 0 7 ), as d o e s o n e o f S u tji p to ’s o w n e x p e rts ( A . R . 128- 152) . T he otherexperts peci fi cal l ydi s cus s es C hi nes e C hr i s t i ans and makes no m ent i on of B uddhi s t s . ( A . R . 161- 163. ) Sut j i pt o di d notpr es entanyevi dence thatw as s peci fi c t o B uddhi s t s , focus es hi s ar gum entm ai nl yon hi s C hi nes e ethni ci ty , and ar gues onl ygener al l ythathe fa ces a r i s k of harm due t o hi s s t atus as a r el i gi ous m i nor i tyi n a M us l i m country . A ccor di ngl y , w e fi nd thatcons i der at i on of W ong and Li e i s appr opr i at e. IV . F o r t h e f o re g o in g re a s o n s , w e w ill d e n yth e p e titio n f o r r e v ie w .