12/22/2020 Indonesia (International Christian Concern) – On December 16, the Indonesian government provided compensation to 215 victims who were impacted by past terrorist acts in the country since 2002.
17 victims received the compensation symbolically from the hands of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) at the presidential palace. They are among the 215 victims of 40 terrorist attacks that took place from 2002-2017, who will receive around 39.2 billion rupiah (US$2.8 million) in total from Jakarta.
President Jokowi said that providing compensation is one of the country’s responsibilities to victims who have been waiting for compensation for years. It is in accordance with the government regulation on compensation, restitution and support for victims and witnesses, after Jokowi signed the legislation in 2018.
The series of terrorism attacks covered in this round of compensation include the first and second Bali bombings in 2002 and 2005, the bombing in Jakarta’s commercial center in 2016, and the 2016 Molotov cocktail attack at a Protestant church in Samarinda, which were carried out by members of Jemaah Islamiyah and Islamic State-linked Jamaah Ansharut Daulah.
Although the pain experienced by the victims and their families cannot be erased by the compensation, the Indonesian government hopes to assist them with their financial hardship given their injury, loss of jobs or medical bills.
“There are also (victims) who experience psychological trauma and suffer from forgetfulness, mental and physical (disabilities) as well as experience various stigma due to their physical conditions,” Jokowi said, expressing hopes that the assistance provided by the state will bring encouragement to the victims.
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