TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Dozens of people flocked the Ground Zero Memorial in Kuta Bali on Thursday, October 12, remembering 15 years after bomb explosions that killed 202 people.
A victim of the attack, Chusnul Chotimah (47), also paid a visit to the site. She could be visibly seen unable to hold back her tears,
“I may have blacked-out. But once I was conscious I saw a great blaze of fire," she said on the memorial site.
Chusnul was permanently injured in her face and hands as a result of the explosion. Fifteen years following the attack, she is still haunted by the injuries she has that keep waking her up in the middle of the night. After more than a decade, Chusnul Chotimah hopes that the government would take notice of her situation and help with her medical treatments, as well as her opportunity to have a job.
“If the government has given work opportunities for former terrorists, then they must help us too,” she pleaded.
Chusnul said that she had to pay her own medical bills which have accumulated to Rp133 million. She even had to take money from loan sharks.
Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika was present in the 15 year anniversary of the Bali bombings. Made said he would not want the memorial to spark hatred and revenge.
“Some controversies need to be commemorated, while others don’t,” he said.
According to Made, the public will take notice and understand the current conditions of the surviving victims.
“It is impossible to forget about terrorists, but we must forgive them. This is what we can learn. Peace does not fall from the sky. But we must try to make peace with ourselves.”
BRAM SETIAWAN
