A Personal Account of Bali’s Tragedy

There have bee several bilingual books documenting the catastrophic Bali bombing incident. The latest is entitled ‘Tragedy In Bali: A Personal Account of the Bali Bombing’, by Alan Atkinson, an ABC News producer and reporter based in Adelaide, South Australia. He was on holiday in Bali with his family when terrorists exploded two bombs in Kuta-Legian on October 12 2002, killing 220 people. Atkinson was one of the first international journalists to report from the scene. The book is his diary of his time before, during and after the explosions.

Originally published by Australia Broadcasting Corporation Books in Australia in December under the title ‘Three Weeks in Bali: A Personal Account of the Bali Bombing’, the new 210-page release is formatted in both English and Indonesian, translated by Supardi Asmorbangun and edited by FX Totok Setiowahyudi. The book features a never-before-published collection of photos by Bali-based photojournalist Murdani Usman. As a 100 percent Bali project all design, production and publishing of the book is done on Bali by Printworks, the publishing branch of Bali’s PT The Works. This non-profit project is funded by local contributions from Bali International Medical Centre, MRA Media Group, Souring Bali and Asia Life.
The publication’s goal is to make available to Indonesian readers a first-hand account through the eyes of an objective observer - a western journalist - who found himself caught up in a drama when least expected, on an island he also loves. ‘We felt it was important for this perspective to be shared with local readers,’ said publisher Debe Campbell, ‘especially those beyond Bali who may not even yet understand the gravity of the calamity.’ The diary begins with the usual excitement of setting out on a family holiday. Atkinson describes the pleasure and fun of their first 10 days on the island: the warmth and hospitality of the people and their rich cultural traditions; humorous episodes as the family explores different parts of Bali and the effects of the unfamiliar heat. Bombs shatter the idyll. The reader then travels with the author as he resumes his journalist role to report on the horror of the attack and the events as they unfold. PT The Works is a marketing communications consulting company based in Bali. Other publications include Bali Port Guide 2002 and Apresiasi Kritis Terhadap Kepariwisataan Bali by Prof. Dr I Gde Pitana, the head of the Bali Tourism Authority. (BTN/004)