The Australian, October 03, 2005
Bali relives nightmare
Sian Powell, Jakarta correspondent and Stephen Fitzpatrick, Denpasar
INDONESIA vowed last night to step up its fight against terrorism after a series of
suicide bombings on the tourist island of Bali killed at least 26 people, including three
Australians.
The attacks - on the eve of the third anniversary of the 2002 Bali bombings - were
immediately suspected of being the work of feared terrorist network Jemaah Islamiah.
Amid warnings of further attacks, police said three suicide bombers detonated vests
or bags packed with ball-bearings in restaurants full of families on Saturday night.
The first bomb exploded at Raja's restaurant in popular Kuta Beach. Ten minutes
later, a further two bombs hit open-air seafood restaurants at the beach resort on
Jimbaran Bay, about 10km to the south.
At least three Australians were believed to have been killed in the attacks, which took
place at the height of the holiday season. A further 15 Australians were among the
122 injured.
The Australians confirmed dead were 48-year-old Jennifer Williamson, a mother from
Newcastle in NSW, and 16-year-old Brendan Fitzgerald, of Busselton in Western
Australia.
An unidentified Australian man, who was travelling with a group of families from
Newcastle, is also understood to have died.
Late yesterday, 10 corpses were yet to be identified. Australian Federal Police
officers were scrambling to help with victim identification.
The bombers struck almost exactly three years after the devastating Sari club and
Paddy's Bar bombings, which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.
The similarity between the latest blasts, the 2002 Bali attacks and deadly JI-led
assaults on the Marriott Hotel in 2003 and the Australian embassy in Jakarta last
year immediately raised suspicions that Saturday's attacks were the work of the
terrorist group.
In particular, police believe Asia's most-wanted extremists, Azahari Husin and Noordin
Top, could have masterminded the latest outrage.
The attacks reignited calls for Indonesia to ban JI.
Visiting the scene of the bombings, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said last
night he had ordered security stepped up across Indonesia.
"We will do more in fighting terrorism," Dr Yudhoyono said, pleading for understanding
from the Indonesian people.
"We are determined to continuously fight terrorism in Indonesia with efforts - global,
regional and bilateral agreements."
John Howard, who spoke to Dr Yudhoyono last night, said he was sickened by the
bombings, the latest in a series of "cowardly, wanton, indiscriminate, horrific attacks".
And he repeated his belief that JI should be declared an illegal organisation.
"We continue to hold the view that it should be banned," the Prime Minister said. "But
it would be wrong to conclude making an organisation illegal ... would alter its
conduct."
Leading Singapore-based terror expert Rohan Gunaratna said Indonesia was not doing
enough to crack down on the terror group.
"JI has not been proscribed," Dr Gunaratna said. "JI is still not criminalised and it is
important for Indonesia to focus their attention, to proscribe or designate JI as a
terrorist group."
He said it should be banned because it was too easy for it to finance its attacks and
regroup after crackdowns.
Dr Yudhoyono branded the blasts as acts of terrorism and vowed to catch those
responsible. But the President's spokesman, Andi Malarangeng, said it was not the
time to discuss whether the militant network should be banned in Indonesia.
"We are now looking at whoever is responsible very closely," he said. "But I cannot be
specific on any of this."
Indonesia has hesitated to ban an Islamic network that is regarded with some
sympathy in Indonesia by Muslims who resent Western intervention in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
Two Australian Defence Force C-130 Hercules transport aircraft flew out from Darwin
last night carrying medical teams to help the injured. Lear jets organised by the
Howard Government were bringing the wounded back to Australia. Mr Howard also
offered to bring the injured back to Australian hospitals regardless of their nationality.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said that of the injured, seven were being
medically evacuated to Singapore or back to Australia, and all of them would
eventually be evacuated.
Dr Yudhoyono last night confirmed the bombings were the work of suicide bombers.
He promised to set up the manhunt for those responsible, as National Police
Commander Sutanto confirmed Bali police were looking for three other men suspected
of involvement in the blasts.
The bombers are believed to have used two cars in their operations - a locally
assembled van and a compact car.
Forensic work on the explosives and the suicide bombers' body parts had begun, and
DNA tests were soon to begin on family members of young men thought to be suicide
recruits.
Indonesian police spokesman Antonius Reniban said police were also investigating
three other explosives packages that had failed to detonate.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty confirmed Australia had sent a
28-strong police team, including three state police, to help Indonesian police --
particularly with determining the type of bomb used and identifying the attackers.
Mr Keelty said the Indonesians had found the heads of those they believed were the
suicide bombers, raising hopes the killers would be identified quickly.
He said the bombs were not as powerful as those used in the 2002 attacks,
suggesting the deaths were caused by shrapnel, rather than the blasts themselves.
The commissioner said the ability of terrorist groups to recruit suicide bombers
remained a concern. Top and Azahari were thought to be senior members of the JI
network, but terrorism experts now believe they may have formed a splinter group with
assistance from JI militants.
Australian ambassador to Indonesia David Ritchie visited injured tourists at
Denpasar's Sanglah Hospital. He blamed the latest attacks on "people who claimed
to represent Islam" but were really "just murderers and criminals".
Additional reporting: John Kerin
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