Megawati Soekarnoputri Calls Indonesia The Main Victim Of Terrorism At APEC Summit In Los Cabos, Mexico October 26, 2002

President Megawati Soekarnoputri (backward) took a photo with state leaders at the APEC summit in Los Cabos, Mexico on October 26, 2002. (VNA)

JAKARTA - Today, 20 years ago, October 26, 2002, President Megawati Soekarnoputri attended the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Los Cabos, Mexico. Her presence brought an important message to the world.

The daughter of Bung Karno emphasized that Indonesia was the main victim of terrorism through the Bali bombings. According to her, terrorists cannot win. Therefore, Megawati asked all APEC member countries to cancel the ban on visits to Indonesia.

The popularity of the island of Bali as a mainstay of Indonesian tourism is second to none. Travelers from various parts of the world consider Bali to be more attractive. From a series of beautiful beaches, nature, to culture. That narrative is what makes Bali increasingly popular.

However, the popularity of Bali wants to try to be used for evil purposes. A group of terrorists wants to spread terror to the world by carrying out bombings in Bali. No kidding. Bombs exploded in three different places on October 12, 2002. These included the Sari Club, Paddy's Pub, and near the United States Consulate.

Megawati Soekarnoputri. (Perpusnas)

The incident brought deep sorrow to all Indonesian people because hundreds of people lost their lives. The victims were dominated by Australian tourists and local residents. Indonesia's number one person, Megawati immediately came to Bali on the same day.

She tried to directly inspect the location of the bombing. She expressed her condolences. Not only Megawati, the former President of Indonesia, Abdurrahman Wahid, also expressed deep sadness. He said the Bali Bombing was a very big tragedy.

"From a humanitarian perspective, the Bali Bombing incident is a very big tragedy, both from the number of victims who reached 200 people, as well as concerning the future of humanity. In the era of technological advances, humans are even more difficult to breathe. This is proven by the increasingly fragile value of human dignity and freedom.”

“The bad smell of blood, the price of life, and the epidemic of demons have become part of the daily life of a country, which is said to be known for being friendly and compassionate. In fact, from an Islamic perspective, taking one life away is the same as destroying all life. On the contrary, giving life for one person's life is as if reviving the whole pulse of humanity," said former Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) as written by Maman Imanulhaq Faqieh in the book Fatwa dan Canda Gus Dur (2010).

The Bali Bombing incident is also considered a humanitarian tragedy that must be addressed. President Megawati Soekarnoputri did not remain silent. She specifically on various occasions invites all countries to participate in the fight against terrorism.

The destruction in the Kuta area, Bali after the bombing on October 12, 2002, with hundreds of victims, which became known as the Bali Bombing I. (Twitter/@National Museum Australia)

Megawati Soekarnoputri repeated this statement at the APEC Summit in Mexico on October 26, 2002. Megawati also said that Indonesia was the main victim of terrorism. She hopes that the countries in the APEC Summit will immediately lift the ban on visiting Indonesia.

“At the APEC meeting in Mexico on October 26 and 27, 2002, President Megawati appealed to heads of state to immediately cancel the travel bans and travel advisories imposed on their citizens after the Bali bombings.”

"The reason is that by implementing these steps, there will be social and political panic, which will benefit terrorists and will encourage other acts of terror in the future," said Setyanto P. Santosa in the book Fast Learner (2019).