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View all search resultsSeveral women who lost their husbands in the infamous 2002 Bali Bombings terrorist attacks said they had no strong emotional response to government plan to execute the convicted terrorists responsible for the bombings
Several women who lost their husbands in the infamous 2002 Bali Bombings terrorist attacks said they had no strong emotional response to government plan to execute the convicted terrorists responsible for the bombings.
Attorney General Hendarman Supandji stated the execution would take place before the commencement of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan in September.
The three convicted terrorists are Ali Gufron, Imam Samudra and Amrozi. They are now being detained at Nusa Kambangan prison island, Central Java, awaiting their execution.
They were all found guilty of masterminding the attack that killed at least 202 people, mostly foreign nationals. The bombings targeted two of Kuta's crowded nightspots, the Sari Club and Paddy's.
Wayan Rasni, whose husband Made Sujana, a security officer at the Sari Club, died instantly in the explosion, said she had not paid much attention to the status of the three convicted terrorists.
"Their status doesn't bother me at all at this point, but I acknowledge that I still want them to be punished. It is not because of my anger but I want the execution to serve as a warning to those who might want to try a similar act in years to come," she told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Rasni is now supporting her family by selling batik garments to her neighbors.
Head of the Bali prosecutor's office Dewa Putu Ali Adnyana said earlier the office had completed the paperwork for the death sentence to be carried out.
"We have done all the preparations necessary for the execution and now it is up to the attorney general to set the D-day," he said.
But one certain thing is that the three bombers will not be executed in Bali, he added.
"There are several locations outside Bali that have been considered," he said.
Ni Luh Erniati, another widow, said she felt a lot more neutral about the execution of the convicted terrorists than she had five years ago.
She agreed it was more important for her to continue her life than to be imprisoned by hatred toward the terrorists.
"Every time I think about them and what they did to my life, all that pain suddenly appears again, and it would generate nothing but continuous sorrow not only in my mind but also in my daily life," she said.
"Therefore, a decision has to be made, and I have chosen to forget all about them and just continue the struggle for my own life."
Erniati now lives with her two children, Putu Agus Eriawan Kusuma and Made Bagus Aryadana.
In cooperation with six other Bali bombing widows, she is now running a clothing business. The business was initiated and is still generously supported by the Adopt-A-Victim foundation. Established in February 2003, several months after the bombing, by several local and foreign patrons, the foundation aims to provide new livelihoods for the bombing victims' families.
While their mother was taught to use a sewing machine, provided by the donors, the children were encouraged to continue their education with scholarships provided by another foundation, Humanitarian Foundation for Mother Nature.
Endang Isnanik, another widow, said they had had to start the sewing business from scratch.
"We knew nothing about sewing and therefore we had to study hard for almost a year before we were finally allowed to receive sewing orders from other parties," she said.
She said she now managed to earn between Rp 700,000 and Rp 1 million per month, depending on the number of orders received.
She too said she felt indifferent toward the execution plan, and that the government had been much too slow in carrying out the sentence.
"I don't know what stopped the government from executing them at the first chance. Apparently the government doesn't take this matter very seriously, let alone matters concerning our personal feelings," she said.
"One thing for sure, if they think they have destroyed our lives with the bombing then they are definitely wrong. We have chosen to be strong and continue the rest of the journey in peace," she added.
Wayan Rastini, another widow, said she still had to calm her children whenever they saw news about the terrorists on the television.
"They are still young and still have a deep need for a father figure, so it will take longer for them to forgive and forget," she said.
When asked about the possibility of remarrying to provide father figures for their children, almost all the widows responded that they were not in the mood for focusing their lives on that kind of thing.
"I don't know what will happen next but for now I think I'm going to concentrate on supporting my children with my own strength," she said.
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