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[Reuters] Indonesia's anti-terrorism agency on Wednesday held a controversial meeting of 124 former Islamist militants and 51 survivors of a series of attacks in the country, including the Bali bombings. The gathering was part of a wider deradicalization push by authorities in the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country.Chusnul Kotimah, who was badly burned in the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings, said he was prepared to forgive those behind the attacks. He said, "I can accept the situation. I can forgive them," adding that he had told former militants that as a fellow Muslims there was no justification for such terror.
Nonetheless, the head of a survivors’ group who did not attend criticized holding a mass meeting under the glare of the media. Other survivors said they needed more support and medical help from authorities.
But Indonesia’s chief security minister, Wiranto, said he wanted such events to be held regularly. Also attending were the country’s social, higher education and manpower ministers, who pledged to help survivors with health care and employment.
“I think this is the most effective way of deradicalization, because in the past there were some terrorists who (until they met the victims) were not aware that their deeds were wrong,” said Sofyan Tsauri, who was convicted of supplying weapons to a militant training camp in the province of Aceh.
It is only human to still hold on to anger, said Deny Mahieu, a police officer injured during 2016 bomb and gun attacks in central Jakarta, after meeting one of the suspects in his case.
“But... if we still feel vengeful it will not solve the problem,” he said.