>From: "Anton Muhajir" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >dear all, > >berita ini sangat mewakili saya sebagai orang lamongan. :D > >tengs > >-- > ><http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/11/10/lamongan-migrants-ashamed-terrorists039-act.html>http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/11/10/lamongan-migrants-ashamed-terrorists039-act.html > >Lamongan migrants ashamed of terrorists' act > >Luh De Suriyani , Contributor, Denpasar | Mon, 11/10/2008 11:16 AM | Bali > >As the country's news outlets were dominated by debates and predictions over >the executions of Amrozy, Mukhlas and Imam Samudra -- a large group of >people purposefully tried to avoid the media spotlight. > >The group had several reasons to stay under the public's radar -- their >members share the same birthplace with Amrozy and Ali Gufron, aka Mukhlas, >and they were not very happy with the way some media presented the three >convicted terrorists as a group of heroic, daredevils icons. > >"I am embarrassed," Mutadi said softly in Javanese. > >Mutadi is a soto (chicken broth) vendor in north Denpasar. He is one of >hundreds of Lamongan people who make a living selling various traditional >delicacies on Denpasar's streets. Both Amrozy and Mukhlas hailed from >Tenggulun, a small village in Lamongan, East Java. > >Mutadi's embarrassment was caused by the actions, speeches and attitudes of >the three terrorists shown nationwide by the country's television stations. > >A week before the three men were executed on Sunday, they had appeared daily >in the news. Stations competed with each other to air the most provocative >words, including their violent threats and their remorseless demeanors. > >His feelings had been particularly acute in recent weeks, yet Mutadi >admitted the feeling had haunted him continuously since the brutal bombings >of 2002. As many as 202 people were killed, mostly foreigners, and hundreds >were injured in the attacks. > >So embarrassed Mutadi was with their common birthplace that he ceased to >introduce himself as a Lamongan. > >"For six years I have been too ashamed to admit that I am from Lamongan. >People have identified Lamongan as a breeding ground for terrorists," he >said Thursday as he served his customers. > >Every time a customer would ask him of his hometown, Mutadi would say he was >from Surabaya. > >He also removed the painted "Lamongan" from his soto wooden pushcart. >Previously the words "Soto Ayam Lamongan" had been emblazoned on his rustic >cart. > >"Almost all my fellow Lamongan friends here did the same," he said. > >A large number of Lamongan migrants work in Denpasar as soto vendors or >running Sari Laut seafood stalls. In the aftermath of the bombings, most of >them added the word "Surabaya" behind Sari Laut to hide their true >identities. > >Similar psychological shame and pressure were also experienced by Hajjah >Mutiah, who runs a Sari Laut foodstall in west Denpasar. Hajjah and her >husband have lived in Bali for decades. > >"I always try to remain calm, but sometimes people here love bothering me >with questions about Amrozy. I hope that Amrozy will get the punishment he >deserves as soon as possible," she said. > >However, she admitted she had never experienced any physical intimidation or >acts of violence as a result of her identity as a Lamongan migrant. > >"I like living in Bali very much and I hope this island never again falls >victim to another terrorist act," she said. > >Udayana University's researcher I Nyoman Darma Putra said that there had >been no violent retributions committed by the Balinese against the Lamongan. >He said the fear and shame felt by the Lamongan migrants wasn't always >related to a possible threat from the Balinese. > >"It is more of an internal thing -- the psychological embarrassment and fear >of being identified similarly with the terrorists," he said. > >-- >Anton Muhajir | <http://rumahtulisan.com>http://rumahtulisan.com
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