Indonesia's tourism ministry yesterday offered free tattoos and beachside massages to try to lure nervous holidaymakers out of their hotels following last weekend's suicide blasts.
The fear of more attacks has kept hundreds of tourists within their well guarded hotel grounds for the past week. Normally crowded areas in Kuta have been quiet since last Saturday's three suicide bomb attacks killed 19 people plus the attackers.
The tourism ministry's initiative won strong support from Australians and others who said "terrorists" should never be allowed to win.
PHOTO: AFP
"We are staying. We want to be with the people of Bali in their struggle against terrorism. We would not let the enemy win the war," Peta Rose, 34, a clerical worker from Sydney, told reporters.
"If we leave and run, then the terrorists will emerge winners," she added.
Australia has urged nationals to avoid Bali for fear of more attacks.
Between 5,000 and 7,000 Australians were on the island when the bombs hit the busy tourist areas of Kuta Square and Jimbaran Bay on Saturday night.
Four Australians died in the blasts, which came almost three years after 202 people including 88 Australians died in Bali nightclub bombings.
Rose said she took advantage of the free tattoo and massage service to show that Bali was safe.
"I have been coming to Bali for the past 10 years. This year I have come twice. We must not let the terrorists frighten us," she said.
Vincent Jemadu, the tourism ministry official who coordinated the event, said it aimed to get tourists out of their hotels to enjoy Kuta beach.
"The message we want to convey is: it is safe in Bali. Have faith in our security system. Please come out and enjoy the sand and the sun," he said.
Bikini-clad tourists enjoyed a massage along with a tattoo drawn on their bodies. Some picked a dragon symbol but many chose a circular design with the words "Bali Peace" and a symbol of love in the center.
Denise Gray, 46, an education assistant from Perth, was in Bali with her husband and 12-year-old son for their first visit to one of Australia's favorite Asian playgrounds.
"I feel safe and that's why we are not leaving as yet. But we are careful when we frequent the outdoor restaurants or outdoor places," she said.
"We dine at restaurants that have tight security," said Gray as she received her free massage and tattoo.
Kuta beach is about 100m from Raja's restaurant, where five people died in one of the bomb blasts last Saturday.
Jemadu described the overwhelming response to the massage and tattoo offer as a success, saying "we targeted 150 people but some 300 came, mainly Western tourists."
"But a lot of people are still scared. Some hotels have reported that many tourists have cancelled their tours for the month of October. But we predict in November and December, they will return," he said.
Rose will be one of them. "I don't want to see Bali cry. I will not let the terrorists beat me. I shall return."
Meanwhile, the US State Department on Thursday offered a reward of up to US$10 million for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspected mastermind in the nightclub bombings in 2002 in Bali.
The suspect, identified as Dulmatin, is a member of the al-Qaeda linked Jemaah Islamiyah terror group that is suspected also in Saturday's attacks.
Dulmatin is an electronics specialist with training in al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan and a senior figure in the Jemaah Islamiyah terror organization, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
A reward of up to US$1 million was also offered for Umar Patek. McCormack said Patek was believed to have served as an assistant for the field coordinator of the Bali bombings in 2002.
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