Bombers' planned execution sparks mixed reactions

Dicky Christanto ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Legian   |  Fri, 08/22/2008 10:17 AM  |  Bali

The government's promise to execute the Bali bombers before the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins Sept. 1, has sparked various reactions here.

Some people praised the plan, saying it could boost both the country's image and law enforcement condition, which in turn could also attract more tourists to the island.

Others were more skeptical, saying that as long as the government did not do away with all the religious hard-liners in jail, another terrorist attack could still take place in the future.

Cyrus Khamneipur, a foreign visitor from California, the United States, said the brutal terrorist attack had failed to deter him from visiting the island.

"I must admit that there are many people who have been scared by the tragedies here in past years, but I just don't easily get scared by all of it," he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday after taking photographs of the ground zero monument in Legian.

Don Keenan, another tourist from Australia, shared a similar feeling, saying the bombings would not keep him from Bali.

"I have visited this island more than 20 times and I am planning to make more trips here in the future. For me, there is no way that such brutal actions could defeat the hospitality offered by the Balinese and the beauty of this island. Besides, such terrorist attacks could happen anywhere in the world," he said.

Commenting on the planned execution, Keenan said he supported the latest proposal, saying it would also improve the government's image.

"It could also boost foreign tourists' confidence to visit the island once again," he said.

The government has vowed to execute the three convicted terrorists Imam Samudra, Amrozi and Ali Ghufron immediately. They were sentenced to death in 2002 after being found guilty of masterminding the bombings that same year. The attacks hit two popular and packed nightspots in Bali's tourist haven of Kuta. The explosions and the ensuing fire killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.

The terrorists are now being incarcerated at the Batu maximum security prison on Nusa Kambangan Island, Central Java.

Not everybody shared Khamneipur's and Keenan's optimism, however.

Shirley, not her real name, also an Australian, said she was still afraid to visit Bali.

After the second terrorist attacks in 2005, she and her family canceled their trip here and flew to Thailand instead.

"Some of the fatalities in the 2002 bombings were people whom I and my husband grew up with in Australia. So how could I not be afraid with such a reality? If the Indonesian government had put all those hard-liners in jail then maybe it would be different," she said.

" And if you see that right now I am visiting the island, it is because my children forced me to," she added.

Wayan Tantra, who runs a motorcycle rental business in front of the bomb site in Legian, shared Shirley's concern.

"Whether they will be kept alive or executed is not that important for me as the fatal damage was already inflicted on the island. Those terrorists have already ruined the lives of many people, including me," he said.

Before the explosion, he said, his rental business had plenty of customers who were willing to pay Rp 300,000 a motorcycle for two days.

"But now, fewer foreigners come to rent bikes here," he said.

Suratin, a survivor of the 2005 bombings, said the most important thing the government could do was regain the tourists' confidence so they would visit the island again.

"I urge the government to immediately punish all perpetrators. It will give the government more respect on the global stage. Hopefully, it will also increase the number of tourists in the country," he said.

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