'Helpless victims in an evil game'

The bomb that exploded outside the Australian Embassy on Jl. Rasuna Said, Kuningan, South Jakarta last Thursday, killed nine Indonesians and injured 182 others. The terror attack also scared many Jakartans, just when a sense of security had been restored after last year's bomb blast at JW Marriott Hotel. The Jakarta Post noted the reactions of some Jakartans to the bomb blast.

Ivan Sudirman, 27, is a marketing staff of an IT consulting firm in Tomang, West Jakarta. He lives with his wife and son in Pondok Gede, East Jakarta:

I think justice would be done for the victims, if the perpetrators of the bombing were immediately captured, tried and sentenced to death, considering the large number of people killed. What's worst is that most of the victims were just ordinary people.

But then, we should not be too carried away in seeking revenge, but have to introspect as well.

We have to remember that such acts of terrorism are partly linked to the fact that several Western countries have applied unjust policies against other nations.

Slamet, 30, is a vegetable vendor at Palmerah market, Central Jakarta. He lives nearby with his family:

What makes me feel anguished by the recent bombing is that all the victims were ordinary people, just like us. What grieves us even more is that even if the perpetrators are caught and punished, it would do no good.

Such tragedies -- whether bombings or riots -- will always continue to happen because it is part of a game played by those fighting for power at our expense. As long as they keep on fighting each other, more and more ordinary people will continue to suffer and die.

I'm sure the authorities already knew about the bombing, but did nothing about it because, perhaps, they would benefit from it. I'm sure the perpetrators knew that many people would die, but what do they care?

What can we do now? Nothing. We can only feel sad, angry, scared, but it's no use. We will forever be helpless victims in this evil game.

-- The Jakarta Post