John Howard moved by emotional cries for help
John Howard moved by emotional cries for help
Agencies, Denpasar, Bali
As Australian Prime Minister John Howard answered questions from a packed news conference in Bali on Friday about last week's massive bomb blast, a heart-wrenching plea came from the back of the room.
"Mr. Howard, my name is Andrew Taylor, I am not a journalist," said the man, from the South Australian capital Adelaide, hands shaking as he spoke.
"My niece lies in the morgue, we have had very little help from the government, honestly, there's very little back up here."
Dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, Taylor said he had hit a brick wall and demanded to know when his niece, Angela Golotta, would be coming home and why her remains had not been repatriated when he had dental records to prove who she was.
"We want to take her home. We are upset, we are frustrated. When is the first Australian going home and is she one of them? We want answers, please."
More than 180 people perished in the Saturday night attack on Bali's humming Kuta beach strip, a popular place for foreign tourists, especially Australians.
After answering more questions on a raft of topics from terrorism to travel warnings, Howard faced another exasperated family member.
"My son is missing. He's six foot four (inches), he's got an expensive watch, orange, he's got capped teeth, an arm reconstructed, his appendix missing."
"Is it going to take six weeks to find him? How long before my wife and my family can bring him home?"
The heartbreaking questions underlined the emotional pain and growing frustration among grieving family members and friends in recent days over the slow process of identification.
"Sir, I would love to be able to give you a precise time, I can't. I hope it doesn't take six weeks," said Howard, clearly feeling helpless in being unable to provide much comfort.
"I feel for you, I wish I could name the day. I just know how I would feel in a similar situation sir. I am sorry it has taken so long but it's unavoidable, we don't want errors made."
Coordinator of the forensic operation in Bali, Julian Slater from the Australian Federal Police, told reporters on Thursday that visual identification of the victims had to be backed up by one of three other methods including DNA.
However, Howard did say after the visit that he was pleased with Indonesia's response so far to calls for tougher action on terror.
"I will say without equivocation we have put the view again, urgently and strongly, to the Indonesian government since last Saturday that a much tougher approach to terrorism must be taken," Howard told a news conference.
"This is a view that we have put to the Indonesian government," he said.
The government of Indonesia intends to issue a new anti- terrorism decree that would include the death penalty and, according to media reports, make it easier for suspects to be detained without hard evidence.
Indonesian police have also said they were summoning for questioning militant cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, pegged by foreign intelligence officials as a key player in an al-Qaeda-linked regional network some believe could be behind the Bali bombing.
Howard also said the government would pay the cost of repatriating remains back to Australia and the cost for relatives who want to come to Bali.
Australia has said in view of the security situation in Indonesia its citizens there should consider leaving.