On Saturday October 12th 2002 just after 11pm a small bomb exploded in Paddy’s Bar on Legian Street in Kuta, Bali. This was shortly followed by a huge explosion that came from a car parked across the street outside the Sari Club. Both Paddy’s Bar and the Sari Club were full of young people; travellers, tourists, surfers, honeymooners, ex-pats, bar staff, doormen, prostitutes, DJs. A mix of people from all over the world and from all walks of life, all with one thing in common, to drink, dance, mingle and enjoy themselves. Both bombs killed people outright, and then fires started. Most buildings in Bali are made mainly of wood, these were no exception, the fires spread rapidly, and the buildings collapsed trapping hundreds of people. The lucky ones managed to escape, over 400 were injured, a huge part of Kuta was destroyed and the death toll was nearly 200.
When the bomb went off I was on a Royal Brunei flight to London that had left Bali the same day with my Balinese husband and our daughter. The news of the bombings shocked us to the core; my husband had been in the Sari Club with his brother and his mates just two weeks before for his last night out before leaving, being pregnant I’d stayed at home but he’d bumped into at least five of my friends that night and he wasn’t there long. It was very possible that many of our friends and family had been in the vicinity of the bombings that night and our first few days in Britain were spent trying to contact people by phone and email, checking lists of the dead and injured, reading the newspapers both here and online and watching the news. Among the hundreds killed that night was one of my husband’s friends, we’re thankful it was only one.
The newspapers here were full of stories, ‘Terror in Paradise’ was a typical headline and pictures of the bombsite, the scenes at the hospitals and witness’s testimonies circulated the world. Links to Al Queda were soon made and to everyone this looked like the worst terrorist attack since the September 11th attacks in New York. Most of the victims who died were Australian, but there were many others including 15 Britons and 11 Indonesians (identified so far, there are still over 30 unidentified bodies).
At the beginning of October hotel occupancy in Bali was around 70%, October is never busy it’s the quiet period before the busiest time of year, Christmas and New Year. After the bombings many tourists left and most countries issued specific warnings advising people not to travel to Bali. This was understandable in the aftermath of the bombs, but why now nearly two months later are people still being discouraged from travelling to Bali? Bali’s economy relies almost entirely on tourism; the latest figures for hotel occupancy are around 15%. It is estimated that 150,000 people will lose their jobs as a direct result of the falling number of tourists, on a small island that is a huge percentage of the working population, not to mention the thousands of other people who rely on those incomes too. Nothing in Bali is free and even basic education must be paid for, how will those families afford to send their children to school? How will they pay the doctor if they fall sick?
When thousands of people were killed in the World Trade Centre there were no travel warnings advising against going to New York, in fact it was positively encouraged. ‘Today we are all American’ wasn’t that what was said? We were all encouraged to support the American people, not let the terrorists win and travel agents offered huge discount flights to New York. Why are we deserting the Balinese people and leaving them to try and clean up this mess by themselves? Why should they have to pay for an attack that would never have happened if western people hadn’t flocked there in the first place? Apart from a stretch of Legian Street in Kuta which needs a lot of rebuilding Bali is still Bali, another attack is unlikely and if you’ve been there before and you liked it I encourage you to ignore these warnings and go back. If you don’t are you not just letting the terrorists win? Security in Bali has been improved a lot with areas frequented by tourists given extra protection and more frequent vehicle inspections and surveillance. Several people have been arrested and charged with carrying out the bombings, including the man who masterminded the whole thing, Imam Samudra, who has confessed and been given the death sentence.
There are loads of good deals to be had in Bali at the moment, you won’t find them through British travel agents but if you contact Bali hotels directly, or look at Indonesian based websites you’ll find some great deals on hotel rooms, most offering at least a 50% discount. Bali still has lots to offer be it diving, snorkelling, shopping, swimming, drinking, eating, visiting the temples, beaches, mountains and forests, watching the endless fascinating Hindu ceremonies or just enjoying the sunshine. I urge you to go back to Bali!
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