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.