As the country's news outlets were dominated by debates and predictions over the executions of Amrozy, Mukhlas and Imam Samudra -- a large group of people purposefully tried to avoid the media spotlight.

The group had several reasons to stay under the public's radar -- their members share the same birthplace with Amrozy and Ali Gufron, aka Mukhlas, and they were not very happy with the way some media presented the three convicted terrorists as a group of heroic, daredevils icons.

"I am embarrassed," Mutadi said softly in Javanese.

Mutadi is a soto (chicken broth) vendor in north Denpasar. He is one of hundreds of Lamongan people who make a living selling various traditional delicacies on Denpasar's streets. Both Amrozy and Mukhlas hailed from Tenggulun, a small village in Lamongan, East Java.

Mutadi's embarrassment was caused by the actions, speeches and attitudes of the three terrorists shown nationwide by the country's television stations.

A week before the three men were executed on Sunday, they had appeared daily in the news. Stations competed with each other to air the most provocative words, including their violent threats and their remorseless demeanors.

His feelings had been particularly acute in recent weeks, yet Mutadi admitted the feeling had haunted him continuously since the brutal bombings of 2002. As many as 202 people were killed, mostly foreigners, and hundreds were injured in the attacks.

So embarrassed Mutadi was with their common birthplace that he ceased to introduce himself as a Lamongan.

"For six years I have been too ashamed to admit that I am from Lamongan. People have identified Lamongan as a breeding ground for terrorists," he said Thursday as he served his customers.

Every time a customer would ask him of his hometown, Mutadi would say he was from Surabaya.

He also removed the painted "Lamongan" from his soto wooden pushcart. Previously the words "Soto Ayam Lamongan" had been emblazoned on his rustic cart.

"Almost all my fellow Lamongan friends here did the same," he said.

A large number of Lamongan migrants work in Denpasar as soto vendors or running Sari Laut seafood stalls. In the aftermath of the bombings, most of them added the word "Surabaya" behind Sari Laut to hide their true identities.

Similar psychological shame and pressure were also experienced by Hajjah Mutiah, who runs a Sari Laut foodstall in west Denpasar. Hajjah and her husband have lived in Bali for decades.

"I always try to remain calm, but sometimes people here love bothering me with questions about Amrozy. I hope that Amrozy will get the punishment he deserves as soon as possible," she said.

However, she admitted she had never experienced any physical intimidation or acts of violence as a result of her identity as a Lamongan migrant.

"I like living in Bali very much and I hope this island never again falls victim to another terrorist act," she said.

Udayana University's researcher I Nyoman Darma Putra said that there had been no violent retributions committed by the Balinese against the Lamongan. He said the fear and shame felt by the Lamongan migrants wasn't always related to a possible threat from the Balinese.

"It is more of an internal thing -- the psychological embarrassment and fear of being identified similarly with the terrorists," he said.

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