Sense of unity strong before Bali services

I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali

Balinese completed on Saturday preparations for the commemoration of the first anniversary of the deadly bombings here on Sunday, which will unite people of various nationalities.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard arrived here on Saturday to head the international community during the memorial service to remember those who perished in the blasts that ripped through two nightspots in the popular tourist resort of Kuta a year ago.

"I hope that the event planned for this weekend will provide comfort and support for the families," he said at Ngurah Rai international airport.

As many as 202 people from 22 countries were killed in the blasts on Oct. 12 last year, the worst since the terrorist attacks in the U.S. on Sept. 11 a year earlier.

The commemoration ceremony will start at around 8 a.m., with Badung regent Tjok Ratmadi officially opening a multifaith prayer session. Participants will then scatter flower petals at the blast site on land opposite the former Sari Club.

The local authorities will close the Legian area of Kuta to vehicles for 24 hours, starting from 6 a.m. on Sunday.

Howard will have to walk, along with thousands of others, to the location where the Ground Zero monument will be built. He is slated to lay a wreath before leading at least 700 relatives of Australian people killed in the bombings in a moment of silence, in remembrance of the 88 Australians who perished in the terrorist attack.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri has asked Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to accompany Howard during the event.

Flags of the countries of origin of the Bali bombing victims will be raised at the monument,

The memorial service will reach a climax at around 11:30 p.m., when participants are expected to march silently from Kuta beach to the monument.

At the monument, a one-meter-tall candle will be lit, followed by the lighting of thousands of candles held by participants. After the reading of poems, the ceremony will be closed with the participants praying together for a violence-free world.

Event organizing committee chairman Bagiana Karang said everything was ready for the ceremony.

"We have only to make several small, finishing touches and we shall be ready for tomorrow's event," he said.

These included erecting several penjor (bamboo poles decorated with colorful flowers, plants and coconut leaves) around the monument and placing dozens of sentir (small, coconut-oil lamps) in front of Sari Club and Paddy's, where the bombs exploded last year.

With the Bali administration reluctant to organize an official memorial service, most of the organizing and preparatory work was left to local people and traditional community organizations.

Separately, several survivors of the bombings said although they were still traumatized by the tragedy, they would turn up for the event.

"I will come anyway. But I don't know how I will cope with my feelings and emotions. Two days ago I briefly visited the site; my emotions ran high and I collapsed," a survivor, Chusnul Khotimah, said.

She is recovering from severe burns to many parts of her body. She was strolling along a narrow alley next to Paddy's when a powerful explosion threw an electricity pole onto her. She was flown to Australia where she underwent plastic surgery. She is due for further surgery at the end of this year.

Chusnul and around 30 other survivors and victims' relatives attended a briefing held by the Bali Hati Foundation, one of several non-governmental organizations that has been assisting extensively the blast victims and their families.

Hundreds of police personnel have already been deployed in the area around the monument since Friday night.

To the south of the monument, a white mobile command unit is parked. This newly acquired surveillance and supervision vehicle is heavily laden with sophisticated audiovisual equipment that allows the police operational commander to direct personnel from his office, some 15 kilometers away in Denpasar.

Over 2,000 officers and 500 pecalang (traditional security personnel) will provide security at the ceremony.

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