Terrorist attack 20 years ago: bloodbath in Bali hurts to this day

Horror scenario in the holiday idyll: 20 years ago, Islamists set off several bombs in Bali.

Terrorist attack 20 years ago: bloodbath in Bali hurts to this day

Horror scenario in the holiday idyll: 20 years ago, Islamists set off several bombs in Bali. 202 people die, including 6 Germans. The survivors are still dealing with the consequences to this day. But the bomb maker convicted in 2012 should soon be released.

The detonation is deafening. Then everything goes dark. Someone gets Thiolina Marpaung out of the burning car. To this day, she doesn't know who. It was "a strong hand," says the Indonesian. "Tolong!" (Help!) she screams over and over as she walks through the chaos of dead and injured outside the Sari Club in the resort town of Kuta. She can't see anything, there are fragments of glass from the windshield in her eyes. Finally, a man puts her in a car and drives her to a clinic in Bali. He spoke English, that's all the 49-year-old knows about her rescuer.

After many operations, including in Perth, Australia, and long months in which she was almost blind, Marpaung can now see to some extent again - but the scars on her arms and face and the wounds on her soul remind the publishing editor of that horrible day to this day night 20 years ago. "It's been tough up until today. I can hardly believe it was so long ago," she says, looking thoughtfully at the memorial on which the names of the 202 victims are immortalized.

It was October 12, 2002, a Saturday. At 11 p.m., life is raging on Legian Road. Cars only move at walking pace. Tourists from all over the world enjoy themselves in the Sari Club and other places. Then radical Islamists turn the joy of vacation into a nightmare scenario: with remote-controlled bombs, they reduce two nightclubs to rubble. 202 people die, hundreds more are injured. Most of the victims are in and around the Sari Club, which is completely destroyed. Six Germans are also among the dead.

"The attack triggered a number of traumas in me, for example when I'm stuck in traffic, like when the car bomb went off here," says Marpaung, pointing to the spot on Legian Road where it happened. She was sitting in a car just meters behind. The people in the vehicles in front of her all died, she says. The sirens of ambulances and the smell of hospitals also trigger strong emotions to this day.

So that the victims, the survivors and the affected families are not forgotten, she has been involved with the Isana Dewata Foundation since 2012. Among other things, this advocates the establishment of a "Peace Park" on the site where the Sari Club once stood. Today there is an empty lot there. However, this has so far failed because the land is privately owned by a Javanese-Chinese family, says Marpaung. She does not give up and has already sent a letter directly to President Joko Widodo.

88 Australians died in the resort of Kuta. No nation lost more compatriots in the bloodbath. One who survived with serious injuries is Antony Svilicich. But his life hung by a thread for months. "About 60 percent of my body was burned, and I also had brain swelling, shrapnel wounds and hearing loss in my left ear," says the 46-year-old. He was placed in an artificial coma for more than 40 days. In total, he had to endure almost 30 surgeries and laboriously learn to walk again.

"Physically I'm relatively okay today, but I'm still suffering from the psychological consequences," he says. In 2013 he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). "I'm working on it and trying different techniques to manage the panic attacks and anxiety." He is aware that his life will never be the same again, "but I have made my peace with that day and life goes on". He has processed his experiences and the long way back to life in a book that has just been published entitled "Phoenix Rising".

The radical Islamic group Jemaah Islamiyah, which had connections to the terrorist network al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the crime. Over the years, investigators have arrested many of the masterminds and backers. Some are already at large because of good behavior and the Indonesian legal system. And another will probably follow soon: the alleged bomb maker Umar Patek.

Long one of the most wanted terrorists in the world, he was caught in Pakistan in 2011 and sentenced to 20 years in prison in Indonesia in June 2012. When it was announced in August that he would soon be paroled after a series of paroles, there was an outcry, particularly in Australia. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said an early release of Patek would have a devastating impact on the families of the dead. He announced that he would contact the Indonesian government.

The vortex has had an effect - so far. The terrorist is still in custody. "It was terrible to hear about his possible release," says Svilicich. He does not believe that Umar Patek regrets his extremist past, as the Indonesian authorities emphasize. "He's only saying that so he can get out of prison," the Australian is convinced. "The Indonesian judiciary does not feel for the victims of this barbaric attack on innocent civilians, they only rub salt in the wounds."

Thiolina Marpaung was also shocked by the news of the forthcoming pardon. "I then gave a radio interview and told the authorities to reconsider their rules," she says. Umar Patek is still a threat. Terrorists should be treated differently than common criminals. "He was sentenced to 20 years and is now to be released after 10 years. Like so many others, I was sentenced to life imprisonment for the attack," she says, and her eyes fill with tears. She fears that Patek will be released after the 20th anniversary of the attack and the upcoming G20 summit in Bali in mid-November.

To mark the anniversary of the bloody deed, Marpaung and her foundation organized a large commemoration event at the monument for the victims. The memorial is in the immediate vicinity of the site of the attack. In front of it are two bouquets of flowers. Tourists silently look at the plaque with the names of the 202 dead. "I would love to know who saved me back then," says Thiolina Marpaung. "I want to say thank you. I hope he has a fulfilling life."