Indonesians Demand Death for Bali Bombers
By CHRIS BRUMMITT
Associated Press Writer
BALI, Indonesia (AP) -- Hundreds of protesters demanding death for
the Bali bombers broke down the gates of a prison on the third
anniversary of the nightclub attacks, amid rising anger following
fresh terrorist strikes on the resort island this month.
"Kill! Kill!," the crowd shouted Wednesday outside the aging
Kerobokan jail, which is home to several Islamic militants
convicted in the Oct. 12, 2002, blasts that killed 202 people,
mostly young foreign tourists.
The protesters were quickly brought under control and the gate was
put back up. "Bring back our peaceful Bali," the crowd chanted as
the rally wound down.
The 2002 attacks were blamed on the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah
Islamiyah, which is also accused in the Oct. 1 triple suicide
bombings that killed 20 people and wounded more than 100.
Earlier, survivors and relatives of those killed in 2002 gathered
at the site of the attacks in the heart of the island's tourist
district Kuta to remember the dead and send a defiant message to
terrorists.
Security was tight, with snipers deployed on buildings overlooking
a granite memorial engraved with the names of the dead. Thousands
of police were stationed in lanes leading to the ceremony and five
armored personnel carriers were parked nearby.
About 200 people turned out for the early morning service. The
mourners, some dressed in T-shirts and flip flops, laid wreaths and
marked 202 seconds of silence in memory of the victims.
Most came from Australia, which lost 88 citizens to the attacks.
Eight Americans died.
"It is important to keep remembering those we lost," said
Australian Natalie Juniardi, whose husband, John, was among those
killed. She was 3 1/2 months pregnant at the time, and now cares
for that child and the couples' older one alone.
"It is hard but we are still here. My kids keep me going and put a
smile on my face, but after the last bombing it has been
tough."
Thousands more Balinese turned out for a larger prayer gathering
later in the day, saying they wanted to restore the island's image
as a tropical paradise.
Tourists fled the island in droves in 2002 after a suicide bomber
walked into Paddy's nightclub on a busy Saturday night, setting off
a bomb attached to his vest. Minutes later, a larger car bomb
exploded outside the nearby Sari Club. Most of those killed were
revelers fleeing the first blast.
Courts have convicted 35 militants in the attacks, including three
key players who were sentenced to death - Amrozi bin Nurhasyim,
Imam Samudra, and Ali Ghufron.
The men had been kept at Kerobokan until Tuesday when authorities,
worried about escalating protests calling for their immediate
execution, transferred them to a notorious prison island off
Java.
Investigators have announced few breakthroughs in this month's
attacks on three crowded restaurants, and said Wednesday the only
man arrested so far appeared to have no involvement in the
blasts.
Bali police chief I Made Mangku Pastika said a 45-year-old
construction worker who allegedly lived with the three suicide
bombers in the lead-up to the Oct. 1 attacks was "a zero, not even
a small fish."
However, the man will be held for several more days for
questioning, he said.