Makassar blast traumatizes victims and their families<\/p>\n
Jupriadi, The Jakarta Post, Makassar, South Sulawesi<\/p>\n
The two bomb blasts that rocked Makassar, the capital of South
\nSulawesi province, last Thursday did not only claim lives but
\nalso caused deep anguish for the dead victims' families and
\ntraumatized dozens of others who were directly affected by the
\nexplosions.<\/p>\n
Feby, 27, the daughter of one of the fatalities, Gufron
\nRosadi, never could have imagined losing her father in such a
\nbrutal way, and she has been unable to hold back her tears in the
\nlast four days.<\/p>\n
\"Daddy has left us. We don't have parents anymore,\" Feby
\nmuttered while gazing longingly at a blurry old photograph of her
\nfather.<\/p>\n
Gufron, 60, a retired policeman, was one of three victims
\nkilled when a random bomb attack shattered a McDonald's outlet
\nlocated inside the Mal Ratu Indah on Dec. 5 on Jl. Ratulangi
\nstreet.<\/p>\n
The two other fatalities were Krisnawati, 19, who was breaking
\nher fast at the popular American hamburger chain, and an
\nunidentified man police say might have been one of the bombers.<\/p>\n
The blast also injured 11 customers and employees at the
\nrestaurant.<\/p>\n
Another blast occurred shortly thereafter at a Makassar car
\ndealership owned by Coordinating Minister for Peoples' Welfare
\nJusuf Kalla, damaging four cars but causing no casualties.<\/p>\n
\"At first I could not believe it and when I arrived at the
\nhospital, suddenly my whole world just turned dark,\" Feby said.<\/p>\n
Gufron, who is survived by his four children and worked as a
\nsecurity guard at the restaurant for two years, was known as a
\ncaring and understanding father.<\/p>\n
And for Feby, Gufron was not only a father but also a friend
\nin times of need. Her mother passed away last year.<\/p>\n
\"Daddy reminded me to prepare food for my siblings when they
\nbroke their fast that day. I never expected that it would be the
\nlast words I would ever hear from him,\" Feby said.<\/p>\n
\"It's hard for us to accept this reality, but I'm sure that we
\nwill persevere,\" Feby said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a 23-year-old Hasni, an employee at the mall, said
\nthat she now had an extreme fear of public places.<\/p>\n
\"I heard a loud explosion and I saw people running from all
\ndirections trying to get out of the building. Some people
\nstumbled and fell and others trampled on them,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Hasni said that the blast took place when people were busy
\nbreaking their fast while some others were praying on the third
\nfloor.<\/p>\n
\"I was wondering what kind of explosion it was when suddenly
\neverything turned dark,\" she said, while adding that she felt
\ngrateful that she only suffered light injuries.<\/p>\n
Bayu, 12, who was eating at the restaurant when the explosion
\ntook place, was also shocked and traumatized from the terror. \"I
\nspontaneously ran outside the building. I realized something had
\nterrible had happened when I saw my hands were bleeding,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Bayu said he still gets overly startled when he hears loud
\nnoises. \"I always get terrified now, even if a motorcycle or a
\ncar makes a loud noise,\" he said.<\/p>\n
M. Darwis, a sociologist from Hasanuddin University, said on
\nMonday that no matter what the motive behind the bombings was,
\nthe blasts had induced fear among the public in Makassar.<\/p>\n
\"Although the number of victims is not as high as the Bali
\nblasts, the Makassar blasts have triggered anxiety and terror
\namong citizens because people who experienced the incidents will
\npass on their dreadful experiences to others,\" he said.<\/p>\n
National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said that the
\nMakassar bombings were terrorist attacks.<\/p>\n
\"If we take a look at the target (an American icon), this is
\nthe action of terrorists that aim to create anxiety throughout
\nsociety. They want to create chaos everywhere,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Da'i then urged people from all walks of life to cooperate
\nwith the police to fight against terrorism.<\/p>\n
\"Terrorism does not consider who its victims are and where it
\nwill take place. So, elements of society should get involved in
\nthe fight against terrorism,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/makassar-blast-traumatizes-victims-and-their-families-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}