Police vow to get bombers in one month

I Wayan Juniartha and Rita A. Wididana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali

Bali Police chief Brig. Gen. Budi Setyawan promised here on Sunday morning that he would arrest the perpetrators of the deadly car bombing that killed over 182 people within one month or he would step down.

"If in one month my men are unable to identify and apprehend the individuals who committed the bombings in Kuta and Denpasar, then I will ask my superior, the National Police chief, to replace me.

"My resignation is my way of expressing my moral responsibility to the people of Bali," he told 100 local religious and community leaders at the Bali governor's office.

The meeting was also attended by Bali Governor Dewa Made Beratha and Udayana Military Commander Maj. Gen. Agus Soeyitno.

But the meeting, which was aimed at developing a unified stance and a short-term action plan for dealing with the tragedy, soon turned combative, with several community leaders attacking Budi Setyawan for failing to anticipate the terror attack.

"Apologies are not enough. We want a concrete form of accountability. We doubt the capability of the Bali Police force to handle this case, so we are asking for the Bali Police chief to step down," the chairman of the Institute of Strategic Studies in Dharma, I Wayan Jondra, said during the meeting.

Religious leader Dewa Mardiana defused the tension by urging the meeting's participants not to blame each other, but rather to work together to deal with the tragedy.

At the meeting, Governor Dewa Made Beratha, on behalf of the people of Bali and the Bali administration, expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims.

"I sincerely extend my sympathy toward the families of the victims. I also would like to apologize for this violent tragedy," Dewa Beratha said.

He said that the Bali administration would bear all the costs for treating the victims and transporting the bodies of the dead.

Yet several participants said the governor's apology and expression of sympathy were not enough. Some suggested that the governor must find a way to express his condolences at the international level rather than locally, since the majority of the bombing victims were foreigners.

Responding to the call, Dewa Beratha later issued a four-point statement apologizing to the international community, particularly the families of the victims.