No subject

allowed people to address their fears and resentments in public, and in a safe 
and controlled environment. 

The obvious case for truth and reconciliation is the slaughter of 1965-1966 in 
which as many as a million people may have died, in the name of opposition to 
communism. Evidence which has come to light in the U.S. strengthens the 
suspicion of CIA involvement in providing lists of names of suspected PKI 
members. The children of suspected communists have spoken out, urging Indonesia 
to come to terms with this brutal episode. 

Many people suppose that victims need to be prepared to forget about what 
happened to them. Yet what is needed is something to be done about it, whether 
justice, or compensation, or simply someone listening and taking seriously what 
they have to say. 

Without this, a society cannot move on; the violence and trauma is never fully 
expunged, and it carries the dread possibility that people could resort to the 
same thing. 

- Transforming the cycle of violence: 
These brief examples indicate the potency of non-violence. If applied 
systematically, robustly and with adequate funding, they illustrate how the 
cycle of violence can be transformed. 

While efficient measures of evaluating conflict resolution initiatives are 
being developed, if they are successful, it is hard to measure their effects in 
terms of what did not happen. 

Effective conflict prevention will avoid bloodshed, possibly even a full-scale 
civil war. 

Further, interventions to break the cycle of violence are inadequately funded --
 a particular concern in Indonesia after the Bali bomb. The international 
community has been a major source of support for many of the initiatives 
mentioned here, providing access to knowledge which has empowered peace actors. 

Jamaluddin, an ulema from Palu, Central Sulawesi and self proclaimed hardliner, 
said after a training of "Communicating for humanity": "I didn't realize I gave 
bad influence to many people. I think that was because I had a lack of 
knowledge; I didn't have enough understanding towards other people who are 
different from me". 

But there have been signs that the international community may be in the 
process of disengaging, with western embassies sending their nationals home. 
Indonesia must not be isolated at this time, and strong early signals of a 
continuing commitment by overseas governments and NGOs will be welcome as an 
investment in a safer future for all of us. 
-- The writers recently led a training program in peace journalism for the 
British Council in Jakarta. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Jakarta Post.com
Editorial
November 12, 2002
Piecing our lives together 

One month has passed since the Bali bombing tragedy, which not only killed more 
than 190 people and injured dozens of others, but also changed the lives of 
people in this country. In spite of the many warnings about imminent terrorist 
attacks in our country, the tragedy still took the nation by surprise.

Before Oct. 12, few wanted to believe that a terrorist attack on the 
devastating scale as that in Bali would have been possible in this country. 
Even those who had accepted the likelihood of terrorists striking Indonesia 
never expected that, when the attack took place, it would deal such a heavy 
blow. 

The impact of the Oct. 12 bombing has not only been felt in Bali, but also the 
rest of Indonesia, a number of countries in the region, including Australia, 
which lost more than 90 of its citizens, and other countries, whose citizens 
were among the victims of the Bali bomb blast. 

It must be admitted that, in retrospect, after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist 
attacks in the U.S., anything could have been possible. The Oct. 12 tragedy has 
only confirmed our fear that terrorists attack indiscriminately, killing 
innocent people, or what experts like to call "soft targets". 

The people of Indonesia, and especially the people of Bali, will bear most of 
the brunt of the Oct. 12 tragedy. The nation must come to terms with the 
economic and political fallout. We ain't seen nothin' yet: The fallout has yet 
to run its full course. But it has reared its ugly head. 

For a start, Indonesia's reputation is now in question. Many travel advisories 
issued by foreign governments, cautioning their citizens to avoid Indonesia, 
amount to a huge vote of no confidence in the ability of the Indonesian 
government to deal with the threat of terrorism, and therefore fulfill its 
responsibility to protect lives and property. 

Tourism is the first economic sector to have felt the pinch, as foreign 
tourists now shun Indonesia. This is the sector that not only brings in huge 
foreign exchange revenues to the country, but also one on which millions of 
people pin their lives. 

This, in turn, will trigger more unemployment and even more poverty, just as we 
thought the country was about to begin the process of recovery after the 
devastating 1997 economic crisis. Before the Bali bombing, many investors, both 
local and foreign, had stayed on the sidelines, waiting for things to improve. 
After Bali, they might abandon all hope whatsoever and take their money 
elsewhere. 

Politically, the nation has become more polarized on how it should deal with 
the threat of terrorism. Speculation abounds about the perpetrators and the 
motives of the bomb attacks. This nation seems to have no shortage of so-called 
experts willing to share their conspiracy theories with the public. 

There is also the "Islam factor", which inevitably always creeps into every 
debate, whether about the investigation itself, or about the new measures to 
deal with the threat of terrorism. 

Our preoccupation with terrorism since Oct. 12 has virtually put on hold the 
nation's agenda for reform. In some cases, we have even taken a step backwards. 
A case in point is the government's new counterterrorism regulation, not 
dissimilar to the old draconian law on subversion, which we repealed in 1999 
because it was widely abused. 

The terrorists, whoever they might be, appear to have gotten much more than 
they bargained for. With one powerful explosion, they have caused such havoc in 
our lives, on the life of this nation, and on our relations with other nations. 

How soon can we rebuild our shattered lives? That, to a large extent, hinges on 
how soon can the government, in this case the police, solve the Bali bombing 
puzzle. Until we find a credible explanation about the perpetrators and their 
motives, we will not feel safe going about our daily business. 

To its credit, the joint police investigation team, which includes Australians 
and other foreign experts, has been working hard since the tragedy struck one 
month ago. Its daily briefing to the media has kept the nation abreast of 
progress, or even lack of progress, and the challenges the team faces. 

The police claimed a major breakthrough last week with the arrest of a suspect.