Bomb killed find-raiser for Bali victims

Fitri Wulandari and P.J. Leo, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

"In my house, I have a 2003 calendar with pictures taken by Hans Winkelmolen. The calendar was made and sold to raise funds for victims of the Bali bombings," reads an e-mail that has been circulating recently.

"But tragically, Hans himself was a victim of the bombing at the JW Marriott," it said.

The e-mail, which was sent out after last Tuesday's bombing at the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, gives an heartbreaking account on Hans Winkelmolen, the late president director of Rabobank Indonesia.

Adri Triwicahyo, a Rabobank official, confirmed that Winkelmolen worked on the calendar with friends to raise money for victims of the Bali bombings.

"But I don't remember when he sold the calendars, because it was a personal project," Adri told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

"He was fond of photography. His photos in the calendar, I think, were the faces of Indonesian people, smiling," he said.

The 49-year-old Dutchman was the only non-Indonesian killed in the Marriott bombing, which claimed a total of 10 lives.

Very few facts about Winkelmolen's life outside of his work in Indonesia have been given. A press release from Rabobank only said that Winkelmolen was survived by his wife Maria and their two children.

He joined the Netherlands-based Rabobank in 1975, filling several positions in Rabobank's local and international network. His first foreign assignment was in Germany in 1989. Before taking the job of general manager of Rabobank Indonesia in 2000, he worked in Bangkok as the general manager for Rabobank International.

Rabobank is a well-known bank in the Netherlands, dating back to the 19th century. Internationally, the group has 143 offices and a total of 5,928 employees.

Winkelmolen was very shortly expected to return to the Netherlands at the time of his death, having completed his assignment in Indonesia.

He had already sent his wife and children home, while he remained behind in Jakarta to finalize his departure. He was staying in the JW Marriott Hotel.

On the day of the bombing, he was scheduled to meet his successor, Canadian Antonio (Tony) Costa, for lunch.

Winkelmolen was walking toward the lobby, pass the Sailendra Restaurant, when the bomb went off, killing him and nine others.

A memorial service was held for Winkelmolen on Friday night at the Rumah Duka Dharmais Hospital, attended by grieving friends and colleagues. Several Indonesian dignitaries also were in attendance, including former finance minister Frans Seda and former Bank Indonesia deputy governor Miranda Goeltom.

Winkelmolen's wife Maria, accompanied by his brother Thijs Winkelmolen, also attended the service.

Maria had expected to see her husband back in the Netherlands in a couple of days. The whole family would have been back together in their home.

"It is a heart-wrenching tragedy. How can the same tragedy befall him?

"This country seemed reluctant to let Hans return to his homeland. This country sent Hans to his homeland, to God," the e- mail ends.