IN A sign of defiance against the terrorists that wrecked Balinese tourism, one of the bars at the centre of the attack that killed 202 people has reopened on a new site.
Paddy’s Pub Reloaded opened on Saturday night about 100 metres from the original sites of Paddy’s and the Sari Club, the neighbouring nightspot that bore the brunt of the blasts.
Among those celebrating its renaissance was Taryn Hall, who was injured by the bombs. She escaped with cuts to her legs and body, but fought her natural inclination to stay away. “I thought no, it could happen anywhere, so I don’t think it’s going to happen here any more,” the teenager told Australia’s Channel Nine television station.
Hundreds of tourists danced to thundering music under the flashing lights, bringing new life to a tourist strip that has struggled to regain its popularity. The bombs destroyed not only the lives of its victims, including 28 Britons, but also the livelihoods of thousands of Balinese.
“We would like to show to the people around the world that Bali is still alive,” Gede Wiratha, the bar’s owner and one of Bali’s most prominent businessmen, said.
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Some of the high-spirited hedonism has been lost, along with the island’s innocence. Security is tight around the new bar and other places where the few Westerners who still come to Bali congregate.
The original Paddy’s used to be a landmark on the tourist map, distinguished by huge fake banana trees. Now real banana trees have been planted on the fenced-off site. The iron fence round the area where the Sari Club stood has become an impromptu shrine for many tourists. Messages of condolence are still being posted there and fresh flowers left.
The police arrested 35 people in connection with the bombings and four have been put on trial for their lives. A mechanic named Amrozi is due to hear the verdict in his case this week. The five-judge panel is expected to sentence him to death by firing squad.