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Balinese, tourists not giving in to fear

Indonesian police inspect bags of two tourists before they enter a mall on Bali yesterday as security tightens after the recent bomb attacks on the island that killed 22 people and injured more than 100. Officials say searches and metal detector screenings will become even more commonplace. PHOTO: AP

When three suicide bombers attacked Bali last week, Jay Worrall's father called him at his home to ask if he was still going ahead with plans to vacation on the island. The answer was simple: "Yes, of course."

"You can't really just let the terrorists win," Worrall, a 38-year-old attorney from the US Pacific territory of Saipan, said in Bali on Tuesday. "It's like flying the day after a plane crash -- you figure all the mechanics are doing their jobs."

Saturday's blasts at three restaurants were horrifying by any measure: they killed 22 people, and wounded 101 others. That terror would seem to be only compounded by the fact that the attack followed a worse pair of explosions in 2002 that killed 202 people.

But along with that shock has also emerged a determination among tourists such as Worrall and Balinese alike not to cave in to fear, and a grim acknowledgment that terrorism has become a fact of life in Bali and in many parts of the world.

Authorities have followed suit. Hospitals are stocking up on blood and shops are putting up shatterproof glass. Police are on the streets and at the airport in force, and officials say searches and metal detector screenings will become even more common now.

"Bags will be checked. Cars will be checked. This is an inconvenience but it is for safety reasons," said Jero Wacik, Indonesia's tourism minister. "The world community has become more immune to bombs going off. London and Madrid recovered, and we will recover."

Matching that attitude, financial markets also quickly shook off the impact of the attack, hitting lows in Jakarta on Monday but bouncing back later in the session. Indonesia shares rose further on Tuesday.

Balinese tourism officials, clearly concerned that the attacks could sap the lifeblood of the region's economy, said on Tuesday that the island could sustain a 10 percent reduction in tourist arrivals for the rest of the year.

At the same time, they said hotel occupancy and arrival and departure figures indicated the damage to the sun-and-fun industry would be limited. Occupancy in the area hit by the bombings stood at just below 60 percent on Tuesday, which officials said only slightly below seasonal expectations of between 60 percent to 70 percent.

"We are very confident that people understand about the situation ... because this is not the first time, and this doesn't happen only in Bali," said Bagus Sudibya of the Bali Tourism Board.

While the second bombing has clearly shocked Bali, the island is certainly more prepared for such an attack than it was in 2002.

Security measures have proliferated at the area's larger hotels, including surveillance cameras and metal detectors, said Robert Kelsall, of the Bali Hotels Association. Larger hotels have one security guard for every 10 rooms.

In the days since the latest attack, police -- who used to be used mainly for directing traffic -- have established a more visual presence in the streets. At the airport, guards this week were posted around the perimeter of the runways.

More steps were under consideration. Sudibya said the board and other tourism officials were working with authorities in hopes of involving Bali's tightly knit village communities in ground-level security work and patrols.

Medical services have also improved to cope with the new reality. In 2002, Bali's main hospital, Sanglah General, had limited emergency abilities and only four beds in a tiny burn unit. The morgue had no refrigeration and no body bags.

Today, the hospital has a 35-bed burn unit donated by the Australian government, staff has been trained in emergency treatment, and ambulance teams have up-to-date communication equipment. The morgue has been renovated and stocked with the proper tools.

Still, many Balinese fear that the attacks could make their beautiful island synonymous with terror and death -- and destroy all they have worked to build.

Gde Wiratha knows that feeling all too well. He owns Paddy's Pub, which was wiped out in the 2002 attack that killed so many. But he bounced back, building a new Paddy's just 100m from the blast site within six months of the bombing.

"I'm Balinese -- my blood is here, my soul is here," said Wiratha, who is also president of the local chamber of commerce.

The flags of the tourists who come to Paddy's still hang from the rafters, but since the second bombing, visitors prefer to come for a few quiet drinks rather than all-night clubbing.

The mood is also solemn down the street at the 2002 blast site, where a memorial plaque lists the names of the victims. Worrall and his companion, Jacquie Tessen, 44, gazed quietly up at the names.

But Tessen, a doctor on her first trip to Bali, agreed that people couldn't single out Bali as a particularly dangerous place.

"There's really no place where you can consider yourself completely safe," she said.
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