Police vow to get bombers in one month

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.