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Last Updated: Friday, 8 August, 2003, 11:00 GMT 12:00 UK
Bombed Bali bar reborn

By Rachel Harvey
BBC correspondent in Bali

The site where Paddy's bar stood before the 12 October bombings last year is now a banana grove, surrounded by a bamboo fence.

Two women walk past the new Paddy's bar
Most staff at the old Paddy's bar are back at work
But just 100 metres further along Legian street, Paddy's has been reborn - or, to quote the bar's new title, "reloaded".

The bar is open on all four sides, with a high roof and hard tiled floors, giving a light and airy feel.

Any possible reminder of the horror of being trapped inside has been scrupulously avoided.

Although the venue and decor of Paddy's Reloaded are different to the original Paddy's bar, some things remain the same.

Almost 90% of the staff who worked in Paddy's bar before the bomb attack have returned to their old jobs. For many it is their first work for almost 10 months.

It has only been open a few days, but Paddy's Reloaded is already attracting a steady trickle of customers, including some survivors of last year's bomb attack.

Mahdi
I'm happy to be working again but I still get scared thinking about that night
Barman Mahdi who missed his shift at Paddy's that night
Jessica O'Grady and David Ewan, both from Victoria state in Australia, were across the road in the Sari nightclub on 12 October.

They only found out about the new Paddy's bar the night before they left Australia for this latest trip.

They escaped with only minor injuries, but the horrific images of that night will remain with them forever.

David hopes the new Paddy's bar might become a place where people can go to discuss what happened and drink a toast to those who died.

For Jessica, rebuilding Paddy's is a symbolic act of defiance.

Verdict due

Their main reason for coming back to Bali was to go and see the trials of some of the key suspects charged with planning and carrying out the bomb explosions.

They were in court to hear the first verdict delivered, in the case of Amrozi.

Amrozi, one of three brothers arrested in connection with the Bali operation, was found guilty on Thursday and sentenced to death.

Jessica O'Grady and David Ewan
[Rebuilding Paddy's] shows the terrorists they can't win. We're still here
Jessica O'Grady and David Ewan

Jessica O'Grady says she came to Bali to see justice being done, but she is not sure about capital punishment.

"Sometimes the death penalty is too easy," she says. "It's what these people want - they think they will die a martyr.

"But then again if they were sent to jail, who knows if they would escape or something?"

But David is convinced that the death penalty is an appropriate sentence for Amrozi.

"I personally think death for him would be justice," he said.

The majority of Balinese people agree.

Gusti is the bar manager at Paddy's Reloaded. A survivor of last October's attacks, he has appeared as a witness in Amrozi's trial, and is in no doubt about what he thinks should happen to the self-confessed bomber.

"Amrozi? Just kill him. The government should get tough and kill all these terrorists," he said. "They are all sick in the head - just kill them all."




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