Merry Christmas from Indonesia's bustling Surabaya, where IS-linked bombings are still raw
Merry Christmas! Selamat Hari Natal from Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city. With a population " including suburbs " of well over 8 million, Surabaya is a vital business centre. It's an industrious place, crammed with factories, warehouses and shopping malls. However, this year, Christmas celebrations in the city were more solemn.
Six months ago, Surabaya was rocked by a series of suicide bombings. Three churches and a police station were attacked. A bomb also exploded in a block of flats in nearby Sidoarjo during a police raid. All in all, 28 people died and 50 were injured.
So, as the city prepared for Christmas " indeed there were carolers in the centrally located Tunjungan Plaza " team Ceritalah spoke with 52-year-old Pak Agustinus Dono Chrismiandi, better known as Pak Andi, whose family were injured in the attacks.
Due to the bombing, Pak Andi's father is now deaf and needs a hearing aid. Photo: Bayu Mahardika
Pak Andi is a Roman Catholic and father of two. The Surabaya native is barely a metre and a half tall, but his firm build and prominent cheekbones speak to his poise and charm.
On May 13, his family were at the Santa Maria Tak Bercela Church on Jalan Ngagel, in downtown Surabaya. The attack on the church was orchestrated by Islamic State-linked Jamaah Anshar Daulah, but carried out by two teenage brothers, Yusuf and Firman Oepriarto, aged 17 and 15. Their parents " Puji Kuswati and Dita " and two sisters detonated explosives at two other churches, taking their own lives in the process.
"My family and I were headed for Sunday Mass at the Santa Maria Church, for the second service at 7.30am, as usual. They went ahead of me in a Grab car, along with my father and arrived at 7.10am, which was when the bomb at the church went off," Pak Andi recalls.
"When I arrived at the church, I thought to myself: 'Why are all these motorcycles stopping on the road? Why is there smoke?' After someone told me a bomb had gone off, I panicked and immediately looked for my family."
His 17-year-old son, Vincentius, remembers the horrifying moment well: "I got out of the car to open the door for my grandfather. As soon as I shut the door, I heard an explosion from behind me and the sheer force slammed me into the car. I blacked out for a bit, I could not see anything " I ended up with a scar below my left eye and my grandfather sustained injuries to his head and chest. He also needs a hearing aid now from the magnitude of the blast."
Thankfully, all of Pak Andi's family members survived, but many other families celebrated Christmas this year with empty seats at the dinner table. This attack, the first in Indonesia carried out by young children, left the city of Surabaya visibly scarred.
This year, Christmas celebrations were subdued " partly due to pressure from the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) to not go overboard with the festivities.
Moreover, as Pak Andi explains: "I'm still traumatised from that day " from what happened to my family. Every time I see a Grab car, in particular a white Toyota Innova, I'll remember what happened to my children. But I'm no longer afraid, as long as I keep my faith strong and close."
Despite the solemn times, Pak Andi was looking forward to Christmas and celebrating with his family at his youngest brother's house.
Pak Andi's father and two of his children were hit by the blast as they were on their way to church. Photo: Bayu Mahardika
Indeed, it would appear that Surabayans, of which 9.1 per cent are Christian, have managed to put the attacks behind them and move on. The well-known Mayor Ibu Tri Risma has done a great deal to ease the tension and restore public confidence.
"Every thirteenth day of the month we gather together with other members of the community and the victims' families at the Church to remember those we've lost," he said. "But I don't feel the need for revenge. I've forgiven them, because revenge is like poison. My hope now is that people from different religions continue to engage each other so that we can be harmonious and tolerant " and love each other. It's something I strive to teach my children."
As the world looks to the New Year, the task of forgiving and restarting will be a much harder task for the families of those affected " an aberration from the typical Christmas celebration.
Surabaya was dealt a heavy blow but its people " resilient and kind " will rebound, stronger than ever.
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
Copyright (c) 2018. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
