Survivors deal with wounds, trauma

Survivors deal with wounds, trauma

Urip Hudiono, Jakarta

Sari Puspita has been struggling hard to eventually come to terms
with the horrible terrorist attack on the JW Marriott Hotel last
year that has left physical and mental scars.

"It's never good to be trapped forever in the past," she told
The Jakarta Post. "It's always better for us to be able to look
ahead, so that we may continue on with our lives."

When a car bomb shattered a large portion of the Marriott on
Aug. 5, 2003, she was having a business luncheon with some
clients at the hotel's Sailendra restaurant.

Sari has now returned to work at an oil and gas equipment
supply company, in addition to her responsibilities as a mother
of two, although she is still bothered by the burn wounds which
have not completely healed.

"I still have to see the doctor once a month to treat the
rashes I experience from the wounds," she said, adding that she
also had to undergo physiotherapy to restore the use of her hands
and arms.

The nightmarish attack, which took 12 lives -- mostly taxi
drivers and a Dutch banker -- and injured 147 others, has led her
seek counseling. The mental health group Yayasan Peduli Kasih
counseled her not to be afraid to go out to public places again,
including the Marriott, which is located next to her office in
Mega Kuningan, South Jakarta.

Another survivor, Tita, has resumed her studies, now in her
final year at the Trisakti Tourism College.

Tita was just beginning an internship at the Sailendra
restaurant when the bombing occurred and she suffered third-
degree burns to both her hands, arms and calves.

"After I graduate, I will work at the Marriott ... the hotel
management has promised to employ me," she said.

As a 22-year-old college student, however, Tita said that the
ordeal has had an adverse impact on her social life. Even now,
Tita still wears bandages over her hands and arms, to protect her
delicate healing skin from infection, but the bandages also
attract unwanted attention.

"I'm actually tired of people coming up to me and asking what
happened, because I then have to retell the whole story all over
again," she said.

Tita meets weekly with psychiatrists from "Yayasan Pulih", to
overcome her occasional panic attacks as a result of the event.

Tita has also visited psychiatrists from Pertamina hospital
and Atma Jaya University to deal with her emotional trauma.

"I sometimes still feel scared when I go to a crowded public
place, like a shopping mall, especially if the place has no
security checks," she said, regretting the fact that many
shopping malls in the city are beginning to relax their security
measures.

Although many of the bombing perpetrators have been captured
and convicted, the victims say they are disappointed with the
light sentences.

"I don't think the verdicts are just enough for the victims,
considering the number of deaths, and that even now so many
people still suffer from permanent injuries," Sari remarked.