Monday 14 October 2002

Bali Bombing

I'd just like to offer my condolences to all those who lost loved ones, I know what it's like to loose someone you love and words can't adequately express the sympathy I feel.

The sick thing is we'll probably never know what really happened.

So once again innocent lives are wasted, and ONCE AGAIN no-one claims credit and ONCE AGAIN the only beneficiaries of this attack are the proponents of this never-ending "War on Terrorism" and ONCE AGAIN before the dust has even settled everyone is saying it's those nasty al Qaida people! Yeah, the same ones they've been looking for for over a year...


Please read the following interesting piece from The Mercury News

The bombings are certain to have consequences far greater than the immediate death and destruction. In a country reeling economically, tourism on Bali is certain to suffer, and foreign investors will stay away. The government of President Megawati Sukarnoputri may also have been a target of the attack, much as Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, has been a secondary target of attacks in his country.

Indonesian attitudes, and American-Indonesian relations in the context of the U.S.-led campaign against terrorism, may also be shaken by the attack.

The United States, and its major allies in the region, Australia and Singapore, have long criticized the Indonesian government for not acting decisively against its suspected terrorists.

Bush administration officials say Jemaah Islamiyah fits all the criteria to be listed as a terrorist organization, but the United States has refrained from doing so for fear of destabilizing Indonesia politically and making life more difficult for Megawati. Bashir has a significant following among Indonesian Muslims, and has been warmly embraced by the country's vice president, Hamzah Haz.

"If anything is needed to convince Indonesians that they have terrorism on their doorstep, this is it,'' said Sidney Jones, director of the International Crises Group in Indonesia and a Jemaah Islamiyah expert.

The Bush administration's frustration with Indonesia's reluctance to recognize the extent of terrorism in the country boiled over with Saturday night's carnage.

"We hope this sends a message to the Indonesians that terrorism is not just an American problem, but an Indonesian one as well,'' a senior Bush administration official said.

Full story...

OTHER RELATED NEWS:
US warned Indonesia to cooperate or face "terror" attacks.
US planned withdrawal of Indonesia staff hours before blast
Was the Bali bombing an "unconventional" weapon?