Grieving Musu says Manuela is his daughter

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post/Tangerang

The body of Maria Eva Komalawati, one of the nine fatalities in the bomb blast outside the Australian Embassy on Jl. Rasuna Said, Kuningan, South Jakarta, on Thursday, was buried on Saturday at a Catholic cemetery near the Binong Permai housing complex in Curug, Tangerang.

The family waited for two days for the arrival of her Italian husband Emanuel Musu before conducting Eva's funeral. Musu arrived at Eva's sister house on Saturday morning and immediately rushed to Eva's coffin and kissed his wife several times. He also asked the press to give him space to be alone with her.

Musu looked calm during the funeral. When most people had already left the cemetery, he was seen speaking to Eva's picture in tears for a few minutes. He also embraced the picture of their only daughter Elisabeth Manuela Bambina Musu.

Five-year-old Manuela was flown to Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore on Friday to receive specialized treatment after being treated at the Metropolitan Medical Center (MMC) Hospital near the embassy. Her aunt Hesti accompanied her to Singapore.

"Manuela no longer has her mother now. I will take her with me to Italy. I will take care of her. Her condition is still critical. If the hospital allows me to transfer her to a hospital in Italy, I will do so," Musu said, adding that he had stopped in Singapore before arriving in Jakarta to check on his daughter's condition.

"I managed to see my daughter there before I continued my flight to Jakarta."

Musu dismissed the Australian government's statement that Manuela was the daughter of David Norman, a policeman in suburban Sydney, Australia, and was granted Australian citizenship on Sept. 1.

"Manuela is my daughter. She was born in Indonesia, but she is Italian. I married Eva in 1998 and we have lived in Italy ever since," he said.

"If you want to know more details about my daughter's citizenship, you can contact the Italian government. You will get clear information that Manuela is indeed my daughter and she is Italian."

On Friday, Norman released a statement that he was going to Singapore to be with his daughter, whom he affectionately called "Manny".

Manuela and Eva were at the Australian Embassy when a car bomb, which police believed to be carried by a white Daihatsu Zebra van, exploded. Eva died instantly along with eight others, but Manuela survived although she was critically injured.

Doctors at the MMC Hospital managed to remove two large pieces shrapnel from her abdomen.