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Army officers, soldiers and volunteers assisted paramedics and others in the rescue effort and helped carry dead bodies following the bombing of the Sari Club, a Bali Island night spot off the coast of Indonesia favored by tourists. Close to 200 persons were killed in the most deadly terrorist attack since the bombing of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon by agents of Osama BinLaden.
Commissioner Johannes Watilete, territorial commander, reported that Brother Made Patera, chairman of the Bali crisis center, also a Salvationist, coordinated the work at the scene. Girls from the nearby Army Girls Home and Corps assisted the injured at the hospital, and the William Booth General hospital, located in Surabaya, was asked to stand on alert during the crisis.
Lt. Colonels Charles and April Strickland are currently serving in Indonesia as Chief Secretary and Territorial Secretary for Women’s Organizations respectively.
The terrorist bombers struck as Bali’s tourist season was beginning. U.S., British and Australian ambassadors have discouraged any additional travel to the area. Major Eileen Hoogstad, however, has announced that she will travel to Indonesia and visit the Girls Home in Palu Central Celebes next week.
Watilete asked fellow Salvationists around the world to pray for the work of the Army in Indonesia and urged them to be mindful of the fact that “Our God is a loving God and is still on his throne! May our witness in Indonesia through our evangelical, medical, social and education work prove this truth,” he said.
