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Bali governor promises to push for ‘peace park’ on ex-Sari Club site
The governor has met with representatives of victims' families and survivors to discuss possible alternatives for moving forward in negotiations with the site's owner.
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Police secure the area around the Ground Zero Monument on Jl. Legian in Kuta, Bali, during the 15th anniversary of the 2002 Bali bombings in October 2017. (JP/Anggara Mahendra)
B
ali Governor Wayan Koster has expressed his support for developing the former site of the Sari Club into a peace park, promising representatives of the 2002 Bali bombing victims, survivors and their families to assist in negotiations with the site's owner.
The victims' families and survivors have long been pushing for a peace park to commemorate the 202 people who were killed in the terrorist attack on Oct.12, 2002, whereas the site's owner plans to develop a five-story restaurant on the plot.
The governor, who was installed in September 2018, conveyed his support on Thursday afternoon during a closed-door meeting at his Denpasar office to discuss the peace park. The meeting involved representatives of the Bali Peace Park Association (BPPA), the Isana Dewata Foundation for Indonesian victims and Badung regency, as well as the Australian Consul-General to Bali, Helena Studdert.
Neither the site's owner nor a representative attended the meeting. Koster said he would try to set up a separate meeting to arrive at the best solution.
Thiolina Marpaung, a Bali bombing survivor representing Isana Dewata, said that she appreciated the governor's support for building a peace park at the site, rather than a restaurant.
"We hope that the government will find the best solution. This is not only for Bali bombing victims, this is for the world," she said, adding that the matter should not affect the relationship between Indonesia and Australia.
The governor offered several options at the meeting in case the site's owner insisted on building a restaurant, such as offering land in Kuta belonging to the Bali provincial administration in exchange for part of the ex-Sari Club site.
