Anger bubbles in Bali as bombing trial for first suspect begins
Anger bubbles in Bali as bombing trial for first suspect begins
Achmad Sukarsono and Dean Yates, Reuters, Denpasar, Bali
From craftsmen to waiters, taxi drivers to hawkers, it seems many of Bali's gentle people want one thing from the opening trial into bomb attacks last October that killed more than 200 people -- vengeance.
In the dock on Monday and the focal point of their hatred will be Amrozi, a fresh-faced Indonesian militant who was the first suspect caught by police after the October 12 blasts.
Amrozi's apparent giggling delight at the attacks, broadcast in a public police interrogation a month after the bombings, shocked people across this Hindu island and around the world.
"He should be chained and dragged up this street so we can all have a go at him. Then he can be put in a cage for exhibition," said Wayan, a surf shop attendant speaking near a vacant lot that used to be the popular Sari Club.
A massive car bomb, one of three separate blasts, tore through the Sari Club and other bars on a typical Saturday night here seven months ago, devastating Bali's tourism industry and leaving wounds that have yet to heal.
At a recent event, Balinese paraded a giant papier mache figure of Amrozi through local streets before burning it as part of ceremonies to cleanse the island of evil spirits.
Prosecutors have charged the 40-year-old mechanic from adjacent Java island with helping plot terror acts under new anti-terrorism laws. He faces the death penalty.
Amrozi's lawyers were not available to comment on the charges but have said the Bali trials showed Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, had succumbed to international pressure.
Some 30 militants are likely to be tried over the attacks, which police have blamed on the radical Southeast Asian terror network, Jamaah Islamiah.
Many of the dead were foreign tourists. Several dozen Balinese also died.
"I want to have piece of him but it will be better to stay home and watch the trial on TV," said student Dewa Made Suartana.
"The most I can do is kick the TV set."
Added Ni Wayan Rasni, wife of a Sari Club security guard who died: "Death seems too easy for him."
With emotions running high, police are taking no chances over security, although they have said the main source of unrest could come from elements who sympathize with the bombing suspects.
Sharp shooters on rooftops will be among 3,000 police and other security officials guarding a makeshift court venue in the local capital Denpasar, normally a building used by the wives of government officials, and chosen partly because of its size.
At stake for Jakarta is its chance to show the international community, already surprised by the thorough probe, that its often unreliable courts can hand down tough verdicts and uncover clues about bombing masterminds believed to be still at large.
Police have urged relatives of the victims not to attend the trials, saying it might be too emotional. While some are expected to turn up, Australian Geoffrey Thwaites, whose 24-year-old son Robert was killed, said it would be too traumatic to appear.
Indeed, Thwaites was in Bali when he said a police convoy carrying Amrozi went past the office of the Zero to One Foundation, an organization set up by Thwaites and others in memory of his son to help the victims of terror attacks.
"Did I get upset when they drove past me in Bali the other day? Yes. Did it make me cry? Yes. Why would I do it again?" the Indonesia-based Thwaites asked.
About 90 Australians were among the victims from 20 countries.