Bali
Discovery Tours
Komplek Pertokoan
Sanur Raya No. 27
Jl. By Pass Ngurah Rai,
Sanur, Bali, Indonesia
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24h: ++62 812 3819724
BALI UPDATE #317 - 14 October 2002
An Island Grieves
Bali's Unblemished Reputation
for Peace Crushed in a Night of Unspeakable Violence.
Like the cowards they are, they came
in the night, slipping away leaving havoc and
unspeakable human misery in their wake.
Shortly after 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, October
12, 2002, a series of bomb blasts shook Bali and
ended the peace the island had so jealously enjoyed
over the past 4 years of Indonesia's troubled
history. The two, almost simultaneous explosions
were heard across the entire southern part of
the island. One blast, thought to be targeted
at the U.S. Consulate on Jalan Hayum Wuruk in
the Renon District of Denpasar, apparently missed
its mark, exploding 100 meters south of the U.S.
mission destroying a tree in a vacant lot and
a roadside gutter. The other, more deadly, explosion
was delivered via a car loaded with explosives
and parked outside of two popular night spots
on Legian's main thoroughfare.
Parked on the road between the Sari Club
and Paddy's Restaurant, the bomb
was positioned to extract a brutal toll on a day
and hour calculated to affect the hundreds of
tourists would frequent the two night spots. The
amount of explosive employed was massive as evidenced
by the two-meter deep crater and the almost total
destruction rendered on the tightly-packed surrounding
businesses and subsequent fire that raged for
hours after the initial explosion.
A Still Mounting Death
Toll
By Sunday evening the death toll
had surpassed 180 people, with scores more feared
to be laying under the charred remains of the
building. Meanwhile, hundreds of injured people
were undergoing treatment at local area hospitals
and clinics.
A special mercy flight from Australia
arrived on Sunday evening carrying an emergency
medical team and medical supplies to assist in
the care of casualties. That same evening a series
of special air ambulances began the evacuation
of the most severely injured to hospitals in Australia.
Community Response
Shocked and saddened at the death
and injury of both local Indonesians and foreign
visitors, members of Bali's community responded
in a variety of ways to the emerging crisis.
+ Representatives of the Indonesian
Guide Association (HPI) and the local
community descended on local hospitals to comfort
the injured and act as multi-lingual interpreters
facilitating communication between patients and
medical teams.
+ Lines of Indonesian and foreign blood donors
quickly formed at the Sanglah Hospital blood bank
in response to an overnight telephone and fax
appeal.
+ Medical services for the injured were donated
without charge by local hospitals.
+ Local volunteers from the IDEP Foundation
set up a missing persons bureau at the Sanglah
Hospital to help re-unite and identify the missing.
+ Ice and cold storage containers were donated
by local businesses to help the Sanglah hospital
morgue cope.
+ Local hoteliers sent food, drink, bedding, towels
and volunteer cleaning teams to the Sanglah hospital.
+ Floral tribute from members of the Bali community
began to arrive at local consulates and ground
zero.
In our Devastation, Bali
Turns to God
Reflecting the Balinese commitment
to the concept of Tri Hita Kirana that
mandates harmonious relations between man and
man, man and nature, and man and God–
plans are now underway to host a
program of prayers offered by representatives
of all the religious faiths represented in Bali
at ground zero.
Intense Police Efforts
Underway
On Sunday morning a top-level
delegation comprised of the President and leading
members of her Cabinet came to Bali to inspect
the damage firsthand.
Minister of Culture and Tourism,
I Gede Ardika, in a press conference on
Sunday afternoon unreservedly condemned the attack,
echoing the statement of the nation's defense
chief in branding the tragedy as a horrendous
terrorist attack.
Meanwhile, police and military authorities have
placed the island under the highest level of security
alert selectively closing or placing under tight
surveillance the island's ports and airport.
Without revealing additional details at this time,
police have indicated a preliminary list of suspects
in the bombing and report they have launched a
manhunt for their capture.
balidiscovery.com
Stay bookmarked to balidiscovery.com
as we provide continuing coverage of this story.
Bali Top Cop Put His Job on the
Line
Provincial Police Chief Says
He'll Find the Bombers in 30 Days or Resign.
The Chief of the Provincial Police
for Bali, Brigadier General Budi Setyawan
has made an firm promise to find the party responsible
for the October 12th bomb attack in
Kuta within 30 days or he'll resign his job as
Bali's top cop.
Joining the National Police Chief in condemning
the attack as a terrorist act, Setyawan
was quoted in the Bali Post On-Line Edition as
pledging that if, within one month, he has not
found the responsible party he will ask his boss
to appoint a replacement.
In a related development, the National Police
Chief and the head of the local military command
have both implored the people of Bali to entrust
the handling of the case to the police authorities,
urging the public not to attempt to take the matter
into their own hands. These statement seemingly
reflecting a genuine concern among the police
that the Kuta Bomb attack could ignite clashes
between various ethnic and religious groups on
Bali.
Governor Condemns Attacks
Text of Governor's Official Statement
on October 12 Attack.
On Sunday, October 13, 2002, one
day after the tragic terrorist attack of one day
before, Bali's Governor, Dewa Beratha and
the Chairman of the Provincial Parliament, Ida
Bagus Putu Wesnawa issued the following formal
declaration:
In connection with the explosion of bombs in Kuta
and Denpasar, the Governor and the Chairman of
the Provincial Parliament, hereby:
1. Condemn the bombing, which took place in Bali
on October 12, 2002 at approximately 22.30 hours
local time.
2. Express our grief and sincere condolences while
offering our sincere apologies to the families
of all victims.
3. State that the Government and the People of
Bali feel it is their calling and the responsibility
to do everything in their powers to help the victims
of this tragedy.
4. Instruct every level of the local community
to remain calm, vigilant, and to continue to preserve
the community's unity and solidarity.
5. Urge the people of Bali to undertake joint
prayers, in keeping with their respective beliefs
and religious teachings.
6. Ask that the Almighty Lord provide us all with
his guidance and protection.
Additional Flights for Returning
Australians
Garuda Adds Capacity in Anticipation
of Exodus.
Garuda Indonesia
have dedicated an additional 747 aircraft to assist
an anticipated mass exodus of holidaymakers from
the island following the Saturday, October 12th
terrorist attack in downtown Kuta.
The additional 747 for flights from Bali to Australia
was announced by the airline's public relation's
manager, Pujobruto on Sunday, October 13,
one day after the incident.
Indonesian Muslims Condemn Bali
Bombing
Nadhlatul Ulama Calls for Quick
Police Action to Catch Perpetrators.
A leading organization of Indonesian
Moslems, Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU)
has roundly condemned the Saturday, October 12,
2002, bombing in Bali, calling on police authorities
to spare no effort in bringing those responsible
to justice.
According to Masduki Baidlowi, the Vice
Secretary General of the PBNU,
the Bali attacks have only served to worsen Indonesia's
international image, incorrectly portraying the
country nest for terrorists.
In comments made at the East Java regional conference
of the PBNU in Pasuran, East
Java on Sunday, October 13, Masduki, in
comments reported in Tempo on Line,
expressed his concern that the latest bomb attack
would only worsen the country's investment climate
and cripple the national tourism industry.
PBNU is therefore calling on
the police authorities to solve the Bali bombings.
Masduki pointed to recent successful peace
making trips organized by PBNU
including leaders of the Christian, Catholic,
Hindu and Buddhist faiths to Sulawesi and Ambon,
saying the bombing in Bali represented a body
blow to efforts to re-establish inter-faith harmony
in the community.
Oz to Bali Air Fare War – Round
One
Qantas and Garuda Slashes Selected
Bali Fares.
Qantas and Garuda
Indonesia have both slashed their Melbourne
and Perth fares to Bali by an average AU$ 170
in anticipation of new competition commencing
later this month from Paradise Air,
an airline owned by a Balinese businessman.
Fares ex Perth will start at AU$ 611 for October
29 through December 12 and AU$ 699 for the post
holiday period January 13 - March 31, 2003.
Clearly, more competition on the Australia to
Bali air corridor will result in lower fares
for Australian holiday-makers bound for Bali.
Fire at Mercure Kuta
Hotel
Accor Managed Hotel
Forced to Close Temporarily to Repair Damage.
On Monday, October 7, the Mecure Kuta
Bali Hotel, located opposite Bali's
famous Kuta public beach, suffered a late night
fire.
Quick action by staff and the local fire brigade
stopped the fire from spreading to guest rooms
but not before flames damaged the hotel's spa,
kitchen, and Alang-Alang Restaurant.
The hotel's management emphasized that no injuries
were suffered by staff or guests as the result
of the incident. However, guests staying at
the hotel were moved to nearby hotels while
the hotel closed temporarily in order to repair
damage caused by the fire.
After 7 days the hotel re-opened to guests on
October 14, 2002, with a temporary dining facility
set up in the building's adjacent shopping arcade
while repairs are made to the building's 4th
floor restaurant.
Barnestorming Bali
Australian Rock Legend
Jimmy Barnes Takes to the Skies in Bali.
Australian rock legend
Jimmy Barnes and members of his family
and band made a helicopters tour part of their
early October visit to the island of Bali, courtesy
of Bali Adventure Air Tours.
Between performances at the Hard Rock
Hotel - Jimmy; his wife Jane;
daughters Mahalia and Elly; daughter
and backing-vocalist Eliza Jane; and nephew/guitarist
Matthew Schlammerl, - all climbed aboard
Bali Adventure's Robinson 44
Clipper Helicopters to fly over the spectacular
Kintamani volcano, jungle ravines, and adjacent
breathtaking rice terraces during a 45-minute
air tour of paradise.
Jimmy Barnes first steps towards the pantheon
of rock legends took place in the early 1970's
with his group Cold Chisel followed by
a distinguished solo career in the 1980's that
included soundtrack work for U.S. director Ron
Howard's film Gung Ho, and, later,
for the movie The Lost Boys.
Impressed on his first trip to Bali, Jimmy
said, "Jane and I love the tropics – and the lifestyle
here is just fantastic. The proximity to Australia
and Thailand is another bonus."
Now that Jimmy and his family have discovered
Bali, its very likely they'll soon be back for
a return engagement.
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