Bali marks anniversary of 2002 blasts with mixed feelings
I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar
Three years after the 2002 bombings that killed at least 202 people, mostly foreigners, the Balinese once again commemorated the infamous night with mixed feelings of anger, grief and a desire for peace.
Most of the anger and grief was the product of the recent attacks on three separate restaurants in Kuta and Jimbaran, which claimed 22 lives.
In the morning, dozens of Hindu students and activists gathered at the Bali provincial council building, voicing their anger at the government for not immediately executing three convicted terrorists: Amrozy, Imam Samudra and Ali Gufron, who were sentenced to death for their roles in the bombings three years ago.
"We need closure on that dark chapter, that saddening experience. And, we will not get it unless the government executes the people responsible for the bombings. Justice has not been served and you expect us to display a calm, peaceful attitude on this commemoration day," a Hindu activist, I Wayan Jondra, said.
Security was tight across the tourist island on Wednesday, including around the scenes of the nightclub attacks, where around 200 survivors and family members of the victims turned out for an early morning service, sharing tears and prayers, and vowing to unite against terrorism.
Among those attending was Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, whose nation lost 88 citizens in the bombings. Four Australians were also among the victims in this month's blasts.
"I know the passing of three years ... does not make gathering here any easier for many of you -- and our hearts are all the heavier following the heinous attacks of just over a week ago," he was quoted as saying by AP, adding that it is important to take a determined stance against the terrorists.
Similar ceremonies to mark the third anniversary of the bombings were also held across Australia.
The message of peace was amplified in the evening when thousands of people, Balinese and Westerners alike, gathered near the places where the bombs went off in Kuta in 2002 for a candlelight vigil.
Organized by the Kuta community, the gathering was also attended by the regent of Badung, AA Gde Agung, and Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Made Mangku Pastika.
"Precisely at 11.15 p.m., we will light the giant candles and hundreds of smaller candles, rekindling our hopes for the peace and well-being of all humankind, a world without terrorism," one community leader, Bagiana Karang, said.
Meanwhile, Pastika said on Wednesday that the first man arrested by the police in connection with the latest bomb blasts on Bali turned out to have no connection with the suicide bombers.
"During questioning, he said he doesn't know the three suicide bombers. So until now, no one knows the perpetrators' identities," he told a press conference.
The police earlier hoped that HS alias Hasan, who was apprehended on Sunday in Jember, East Java, could lead the police to the masterminds behind the latest terrorist outrages.