Sense of unity strong before Bali services

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.

Related stories on Pages 2, 5, 6, 15
Images on Page 20