Bombing anniversary stirs quiet emotions

Andra Wisnu and Dicky Christanto ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Denpasar, Kuta   |  Mon, 10/13/2008 11:39 AM  |  Bali

REST IN PEACE: Mourners pray before the Bali Bombing memorial monument, which lists the names of those killed by the blasts, during the sixth anniversary of the 2002 Bali Bombings held Sunday. The bomb killed 202 people, most of whom were foreigners. (JP/Andra Wisnu)

A sense of quiet sorrow filled Jalan Legian, where hundreds of mourners gathered around the memorial monument on Sunday to remember the 2002 Bali bombings.

The mourners stood or sat and stared in silence at what is now the junction of the empty lot where nightclub the Sari Club used to stand, a Billabong clothing shop that was Paddy's Pub and the monument.

Friends and relatives of victims placed wreaths and candles before praying. Some were in tears, while others backed away to mourn in silence.

One couple, who sat just across from the monument under a long tent provided by the Kuta district administration office, said only that their niece was one of the victims. Visibly fighting back tears, they declined to be identified or interviewed.

A Balinese woman who prayed with her children in front of the monument, which received a stream of offerings ranging from a banten (a Balinese Hindu offering of fruits and flowers) to an opened can of beer, said her husband had died in the incident and left quickly to avoid stirring up further memories.

The memory of the 2002 Bali bombings, when two bombs exploded in the two packed nightclubs in Kuta on the same night, retains its powerful grip on the emotions of many.

Around 11 p.m. local time (10 p.m. Jakarta time), a suicide bomber inside Paddy's Pub detonated a backpack bomb, causing many people, with or without injuries, to stampede into the street.

Seconds later, another and more powerful, car bomb detonated outside the Sari Club, located just a few dozen meters across from Paddy's Pub.

The damage was immense, the bomb destroying buildings and shattering windows several blocks away. Those who were not immediately killed suffered severe burns, overwhelming doctors at Sanglah Hospital, the island's best-equipped treatment facility.

The bombings killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, 38 Indonesians and many others from at least 20 nations who came to Bali for their holidays. A further 209 people were injured.

"But this is no time to mourn the past," said Eka Laksmi, whose husband was killed by the second bomb.

"It's time to step up and face the future with my children," she added, tears trickling down her face.

Earlier in the morning, under tight security, a group of about 60 people, consisting of officials and victims' relatives, gathered at the Australian Consulate General compound in Renon to remember the bombings.

Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika, Badung Regent Anak Agung Gede Agung, Australian Ambassador Bill Farmer and Consul General Bruce Cowled were among those who attended the memorial service.

"We gather here today to remember the lives of innocent people from Indonesia and countries near and far that were taken by the bombings," Farmer told the gathering.

Farmer also acknowledged that Indonesia was the country that suffered the most because the bombings had not only claimed the lives of Indonesians but also had long-term economic and social ramifications.

"That is why we want to tell you that Australia will remain by your side during this never-ending fight toward terrorism," he added.

He said the annual gathering also aimed to strengthen the countries' will to continue tracking down terrorists.

Pastika said he remembered how the bombings had resulted not only in the loss of human lives but also in social prejudice, employee layoffs and a stagnant economy for Bali.

"We, the Balinese, were shocked that day as we found out that our island was no longer safe from such crimes," Pastika said in his speech.

"The bombings have also broadened our government's understanding of terrorism and that has made us take more serious action against terrorism."

The 30-minute memorial was followed by a minute of silence and ended with the placing of flowers at the memorial monument in the compound's yard.

Lars Bergander, from Sweden, who lost his daughter Yohanna in the bombings, said he had nothing to complain about regarding the security action taken by the Indonesian government in tackling the terrorism case.

"In fact I praised the government when I found out that these terrorists were given death sentences," he told reporters after the ceremony.

He added, however, that he was a little confused by the way the Indonesian government continued to postpone the executions of the convicted bombers.

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