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.