The Jakarta Post, 10/11/2006 1:45:26 PM
Police tighten Bali entry points ahead of bombing anniversary
DENPASAR (AP): Police tightened security Wednesday at airports, seaports and
beaches on Indonesia's resort island of Bali ahead of the fourth anniversary of
al-Qaida-linked car bombings on two nightclubs that killed 202 people, mostly
foreigners.
Indonesia has been hit by a series of annual attacks since the 2002 bombing, blamed
on the Southeast Asian terrorism group Jemaah Islamiyah.
Tourists and family members were to gather on the beach Thursday to remember
those killed in the attack and unfurl a 12 kilometer-long (7.5 mile-long) white cloth
between the two bombing sites.
The most recent Bali attack was a triple suicide bombing in September 2005, which
killed 20 people at restaurants.
Bali police planned to deploy their entire 11,500-member force, including elite
anti-terrorism squad and plainclothes policemen to secure this year's
commemorations, said Col. Antonius Reniban.
"We are tightening security at all entry points into Bali," said Reniban, a spokesman
for the island's police force. "We would not hesitate to take harsh measures against
any kind of threat."
Indonesia, which has more Muslims than any other nation, has arrested or convicted
more than 300 militants in recent years. (**)
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