'I hate terrorists, they're evil'

'I hate terrorists, they're evil'

The bombing of the JW Marriott hotel in South Jakarta
demonstrated the difficulty in preventing terrorist attacks
through good intelligence work. Some critics have attacked the
government for failing to take the necessary steps to strengthen
the country's security services. The Jakarta Post discussed the
Marriott bombing with several residents to get their reactions to
the tragedy.

Alex, 43, lives in Bekasi with his wife and three children:

It is hard to describe how I feel about the bombing. It's
beyond human imagination. The attacks were so merciless and evil,
killing so many innocent people.

I take pity on the innocent families who lost loved ones. I
cannot imagine if it happened to me.

I feel terribly sad and angry at the same time. I hate the terrorists, whosoever they are. They are evil.

I cannot imagine how the country's economy will recover
following the bombing. The terrorist attack has undoubtedly set
back recovery.

It is an obvious example of the threats we face. Why should
the courts waste time and money on the terrorist suspects? And
what are our intelligence bodies doing?

The most appropriate punishment for terrorists is death. I
think everyone would agree with that. If they don't get death
they will just commit the same evil crimes again, killing many
more innocent people.

Johnson Panjaitan, 36, is a lawyer at the Indonesian Legal Aid
Institute in Cikini, Central Jakarta. He lives in Tangerang with
his wife and son:

I think the terrorist threat does and will always exist here.
Our government is too satisfied and talks too much about its
great achievement in arresting the Bali bombing suspects.

In addition, intelligence has become so weak that it fails to
respond to early warnings.

I think this is the consequence for a country that does not do
anything to curb the trade in weapons and explosives. The trade
is too free as there is no auditing system by the government.

The inequitable distribution of money and opportunities has
led to public desperation, which has sparked violence and
radicalism.

As a result, there are feelings of injustice, which is
conducive to the emergence of violence and terrorism.

The government should take action against the trade in
firearms and explosives. It should also be open-minded about
receiving help from weapons and explosives experts.

I am sure that terrorism will increase because of the lack of
concrete action to curb it, poor law enforcement and
intelligence weaknesses.

Gareng (not his real name), 31, works at a U.S.-based
organization in South Jakarta. He lives in Setiabudi, South
Jakarta:

I reckon that the recent bombing caused all of the expatriates
here panic. However, we haven't received any threats as not many
people know that our organization is related to the U.S.

I am awfully sad about the casualties (in the bombing). One of
my colleague's relatives was killed in the bombing.

I condemn the terrorist attack. It was sadistic murder that
victimized many innocent people. Terrorists always make victims
of ordinary people.

I assume that the perpetrators were just losers,
psychologically speaking.

I think death is what the terrorists deserve for their
actions. As soon as the terrorists are found guilty, the judges
should sentence them to death.

-- Leo Wahyudi S.