The Indonesian government is bringing together dozens of convicted Islamic militants and survivors of attacks in what it hopes will be an important step in combating radicalism and fostering reconciliation.
The director of de-radicalization at Indonesia’s counter-terrorism agency says about 120 reformed militants will apologize to dozens of victims including survivors of the 2002 Bali bombings and the 2004 bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta.
Indonesian police officers line up during a security parade in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012. More than thousand Indonesian police will provide securities for the commemoration to mark the 10th anniversary of the 2002 Bali bombings, which killed 202 people - among them 88 Australians.
The three days of meetings at a Jakarta hotel that began on Monday aren’t open to the media except for an event on the final day.
Febby Firmansyah Isran, who suffered burns to 45 % of his body from the 2003 bombing of the J.W. Marriot hotel in Jakarta, said he’d forgiven the perpetrators and now runs a support group for bombing victims.
