"Paradise
lost"
"Asked if there was anything he wanted to say to families who lost relatives in the bomb blast, [Abu Bakar Bashir] said: 'My message to the families is please convert to Islam as soon as possible.'" (Matthew Moore)
News and commentary on the Bali bombing.
August 2003
"The smile of death" (The Guardian, 2003/08/09)
"Key evidence in Amrozi's trial" (The Age, 2003/08/07)
"Amrozi bin Nurhasyim..." (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, 2003/08/07)
"Bali bomber sentenced to die" (CNN.com, 2003/08/07)July 2003
"Bali bomb 'had positive aspects'" (BBC News, 2003/07/14)February 2003
"Bali bomb suspect apologises to victims" (BBC News, 2003/02/11)November 2002
"Bali suspect 'admits al-Qaeda link'" (BBC News, 2002/11/27)
"Main Bali Suspect Confesses Blast Role" (Heru Asprihanto, Reuters/ABC News, 2002/11/22)
"Bali bombing 'mastermind' named" (BBC News, 2002/11/17)
"The laughing Bali bomber tells" (Wayne Miller and Darren Goodsir, The Age, 2002/11/14)
"Bali club bomb was intended to kill US citizens" (Tim Johnston, The Times, 2002/11/09)
"Al Qaeda admits Bali blasts on Web" (CNN.com, 2002/11/07)
"Bashir link to Bali suspect" (Martin Chulov, The Australian, 2002/11/08)
"Suspect 'admits Bali bombing role'" (BBC News, 2002/11/07)
"Four suspects now held, say police" (AP/The Sydney Morning Herald, 2002/11/06)
"Bali suspect identified" (Sophie Morris and John Kerin, The Australian, 2002/11/01)October 2002
"From Bandung to Bali" (Bret Stephens, The Jerusalem Post, 2002/10/25)
"Islam's widening battleground" (Fouad Ajami, usnews.com, from the 2002/10/28 issue)
"Bombing was good: Bali academic" (Eric Ellis, The Australian, 2002/10/22)
"Nightclub terror plans revealed" (Maria Ressa, CNN.com, 2002/10/22)
"Militant Islam's New Strongholds" (Daniel Pipes and Jonathan Schanzer, New York Post/danielpipes.org, 2002/10/22)
"Muslim moderates demand crackdown on extremists" (AP/The Sydney Morning Herald, 2002/10/21)
"Report: Bin-Laden financed Bali massacre; planning to target Israel" (Douglas Davis, The Jerusalem Post, 2002/10/20)
"The secret mastermind behind the Bali horror" (Jason Burke, The Observer, 2002/10/20)
"Police close in on the sister of death" (Matthew Benns, The Sydney Morning Herald, 2002/10/20)
"Indonesia Arrests Islamic Leader" (AP/The New York Times, 2002/10/19)
"No sympathy for the dead, but Bashir denies any guilt" (Matthew Moore, The Age, 2002/10/17)
"They want to kill us all" (Mark Steyn, The Spectator, from the 2002/10/19 issue)
"Indonesia Links Muslim Group With Terrorism" (Raymond Bonner and Jane Perlez, The New York Times, 2002/10/17)
"Don't blame the west" (Clive James, The Guardian, 2002/10/16)
"U.S. Says It Told Indonesia of Plot by Terror Group" (Jane Perlez and Raymond Bonner, The New York Times, 2002/10/16)
"Breakthrough in hunt for Bali bombers?" (AFP/The Sydney Morning Herald, 2002/10/16)
"Traces of Explosives Found in Wreckage" (Ellen Nakashima and Alan Sipress, The Washington Post, 2002/10/16)
"A birthday treat, then the horror" (Lee Glendinning and Ellen Connolly, The Age, 2002/10/16)
"Newlywed set to bury her sisters, her bridesmaids" (Ellen Connolly, The Age, 2002/10/16)
"Saudi link to Bali blast, says al-Qaeda prisoner" (Mark Huband, Financial Times, 2002/10/15)
"Some Indonesians believe U.S. planned Bali bombings" (Andrew Browne and Jerry Norton, Reuters, 2002/10/15)
"The Eastern Front" (Ralph Peters, The Wall Street Journal, 2002/10/15)
"An enemy of America and a friend of Osama bin Laden" (The Age, 2002/10/15)
"'We will fight until we run out of blood'" (Tony Parkinson, The Age, 2002/10/15)
"Bali explosions: eyewitness accounts" (ABC News Online, 2002/10/14)
"Indonesia: The enemy within" (Bill Guerin, Asia Times, 2002/10/14)
"Indonesian Muslim militants claim U.S. behind Bali explosions" (The Jakarta Post, 2002/10/15)
"Australia uncovers al Qaeda links to Bali blasts" (Reuters, 2002/10/14)
"Bleeding hearts left exposed as fools" (Gerard Henderson, The Sydney Morning Herald, 2002/10/14)
"This crime proves none of us are safe - and Britons may well be the next targets" (Robert Fisk, Independent, 2002/10/14)
"Bali is the price of indulgence" (The Daily Telegraph, 2002/10/14)
"Paradise lost" (The Times, 2002/10/14)
"Terror in Bali" (Sydney Morning Herald, 2002/10/13)
"Outrage at Bali Bombs, Fingers Pointed at Al Qaeda" (Reuters, 2002/10/13)
"Holiday haven that became hell on earth" (Julie-Anne Davies, The Age, 2002/10/14)
"Deadly Blast Levels Bali Nightclubs" (Richard C. Paddock, Los Angeles Times, 2002/10/13)
"Bali stunned by club bomb carnage" (CNN.com, 2002/10/13)
"182 killed, 332 hurt in Bali's explosions" (Sukino Harisumarto, UPI, 2002/10/13)
"'It was a horrible sight'" (BBC News, 2002/10/13)
"Finger of blame pointed at Jemaah Islamiya" (Mark Tran, The Guardian, 2002/10/13)
"Bombing at Resort in Indonesia Kills 182 and Hurts Scores More" (Raymond Bonner, The New York Times, 2002/10/13)
"Bali Nightclub Bombing Kills 171" (Slobodan Lekic, AP/Yahoo! News, 2002/10/12)"The smile of death" (The Guardian, 2003/08/09)
"The sight of Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, the "smiling bomber" of Bali, raising his arms in triumph as his death sentence was announced was profoundly disturbing. Throughout his trial, Amrozi betrayed no glimmer of remorse for the appalling crime he had helped execute. His claim to be seeking vengeance against America, the west and "the Jews" might be dismissed as delusional, but for the uncomfortable fact that many Muslim extremists have a similar aim. Amrozi's belief that somehow he served Islam by killing 202 defenceless people of all creeds and colours could be ignored as the ravings of a sick mind. Except that Amrozi was deemed mentally competent by the court and earlier this week, like-minded Islamists came close to repeating the Bali horror with a car bomb in Jakarta. ...
Amrozi's evident lack of fellow-feeling for the relatives and friends of those whose lives he stole was perhaps most shocking of all. This is not a political or doctrinal issue. It goes to the heart of our shared existence, to the common humanity that links us all and which no cause or faith or grievance, however fervently espoused, should diminish or obscure. This deficit of feeling, this fundamental absence of sympathy is chilling. It is a true glimpse of the abyss." (See also: "Amrozi bin Nurhasyim..." (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, 2003/08/07))"Key evidence in Amrozi's trial" (The Age, 2003/08/07)
"JUNE 12
Amrozi confessed to being involved in other lethal bombings in Indonesia and said his desire to attack Westerners began when he worked in Malaysia, where Australian co-workers told him about the decadent behaviour of white people visiting Bali. Amrozi denied being the mastermind of the Bali bombings but admitted he had bought and transported the explosives used in the blasts. "When I heard on the radio there were many foreign victims, I was very proud," Amrozi told the court. ...
JULY 14
Amrozi launched his defence by claiming that the main blast on October 12 might have been caused by a mini nuclear device detonated by the United States or Israel. He also said the attack that killed 88 Australians had had some "positive effects", including restoring religious and moral standards and stopping the Balinese people becoming "slaves" of foreigners.
JULY 17
The prosecution ridiculed Amrozi's defence as "bullshit" and again called for the alleged mass murderer to be sentenced to death." (See also: "Bali bomb 'had positive aspects'" (BBC News, 2003/07/14))
"Amrozi bin Nurhasyim..."
(AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, 2003/08/07)
"Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, one of the key suspects in the Bali bombings, turns to face the spectators and gives thumbs up, after judges handed down death sentence, at his trial in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, Thursday, Aug. 7, 2003.""Bali bomber sentenced to die" (CNN.com, 2003/08/07)
"The first defendant to stand trial in connection with last October's Bali nightclub bombings has been found guilty by a court on the island and sentenced to death.
Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, dubbed the "smiling bomber" for his defiant approach to police and the court system, had admitted taking part in the attacks that killed 202 people.
"The accused is found guilty in a legal and convincing manner of carrying out an act of terrorism," said chief judge I Made Karna.
After the verdict was read, Amrozi pumped his fist into the air, smiled and offered two thumbs up to court spectators - many of them survivors of the blasts or relatives of the victims.""Bali bomb 'had positive aspects'" (BBC News, 2003/07/14)
"A key Bali bombing suspect has said the attack had "positive aspects" because they encouraged people to re-embrace religion and weakened the corrupting influence of foreign tourists.
Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, who was giving evidence at his own trial, has admitted buying the explosives and the minivan used in last October's blast, which killed 202 people.
Amrozi said "places of sin" such as nightclubs were now quieter as a result of the Bali blasts, which destroyed the Sari Club and Paddy's Bar, in Kuta.
"With this incident, God willing, many people realise that they had forgotten God and neglected their worship and avoided places of worship so that mosques became empty, churches became deserted, monasteries and temples also became empty without occupants or visitors," he said.
"Often things we don't like are in fact good for us," he added." (See also Amrozi's conspiracy theory: "Amrozi puts 'positive' spin on Bali blasts" (Tim Palmer, ABC Lateline, 2003/07/14):" But Amrozi told the court the bomb he sent to Bali could not have caused so much damage, his defence reaching deep into the world of conspiracy and fantasy.
"I can't blame some experts saying 'that this blast is the result of a mini nuclear bomb'," he said.
"Israel and America have that sophisticated technology", adding that they might have detected his plot by satellite.")"Bali bomb suspect apologises to victims" (BBC News, 2003/02/11)
"A key suspect in last October's bombing of a Bali nightclub has publicly admitted his role in the bombing and apologised to the families of those killed in the atrocity. Ali Imron, younger brother of the chief suspect Amrozi and described at the time of his arrest in January as the "field co-ordinator" of the attack, told a police press conference in Bali that he felt "remorseful" for the bombing. He said that the attack had been the work of the regional militant group Jemaah Islamiah and that no others had been involved. ...
He added that the target of the bombing had been 'America and its allies because they are the international terrorists.'""Bali suspect 'admits al-Qaeda link'" (BBC News, 2002/11/27)
"Indonesian police say the man they arrested as the mastermind behind the Bali bombings has admitted links to Osama Bin Laden's alleged key lieutenant in South-East Asia. Officials say that Imam Samudra confirmed to them that he did know the man called Hambali - reputed to be the leader of the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) militant Islamic group and a regional al-Qaeda leader. ... Correspondents say authorities hope Mr Samudra will be able to provide information on the whereabouts of Hambali - whose real name is Riduan Isamuddin. Hambali has been accused of involvement in previous bombings in Indonesia as well as giving logistical or other support for the 11 September attacks on New York and Washington and the earlier blast which killed 17 American sailors on the USS Cole.""Main Bali Suspect Confesses Blast Role" (Heru Asprihanto, Reuters/ABC News, 2002/11/22)
"Indonesia's police chief said on Friday a man suspected of being the mastermind of last month's Bali bombings has confessed to planning the blasts. Besides the bombings in Bali, National Police Chief Da'i Bachtiar said the suspect, Imam Samudra, had admitted he was involved in church bombings in another part of Indonesia in 2000 and a blast at a Jakarta shopping mall in 2001. ... In Jakarta on Friday, police said the total number of perpetrators was 12, including one suicide bomber, and they had worked in two teams. Last week police said seven Indonesians carried out the blasts. "There were two groups that carried out the bombings. Amrozi's group consisting of seven and the Banten group consisting of five," said Commissioner General Erwin Mappaseng referring to the first arrested suspect and the area where Samudra was caught. "The blast in Paddy's was performed by Iqbal who died on the site...(it) was a suicide bomb. Imam Samudra called it a 'holy bomb'," chief of the police criminal investigation division, Mappaseng, told a news conference.""Bali bombing 'mastermind' named" (BBC News, 2002/11/17)
"Indonesian police have released pictures of six more suspects in the Bali bombing case, including one of the man they say is the leader of the group. Chief police investigator I Made Mangku Pastika said Imam Samudra, who is alleged to have links with Islamic militant group Jemaah Islamiah (JI), led both the planning and the execution of the attacks on the Sari Club and Paddy's Bar. Police said details of the suspects emerged from the interrogation of an Indonesian man named Amrozi - the only person who has so far been arrested in connection with the bombings.""The laughing Bali bomber tells" (Wayne Miller and Darren Goodsir, The Age, 2002/11/14)
"The chief suspect in the Bali bombing joked and laughed with Indonesia's police chief last night during a bizarre public interrogation in which he told of his "delight" at the carnage caused by his crime. Amrozi, the 40-year-old mechanic from Java detained over the bombing earlier this month, spoke of his role in the attack in a taped interview at Denpasar police headquarters. During the 50-minute interview with police chief General Da'i Bachtiar, both men frequently smiled and laughed. Most of the conversation was inaudible to dozens of journalists and photographers who watched from behind glass, but at one moment Amrozi pointed to Western journalists and said in Indonesian: "Those are the sorts of people that I wanted to kill," prompting laughter in the room full of police.""Bali club bomb was intended to kill US citizens" (Tim Johnston, The Times, 2002/11/09)
"The terrorists who massacred almost 200 people in the bomb attack in Bali last month were trying to kill as many Americans as possible, a self-confessed member of the gang has said. "It was for revenge because of what Americans have done to Muslims. So that is their intention: to kill as many Americans as they can," Major-General Made Mangku Pastika, the head of the Indonesian investigation team, said. ... General Pastika said that Mr Amrozi had shown police where the bomb used in the attack on the Sari nightclub was made. "They found the residues of the material of the bomb in the house, so they are now searching (for) more," he said. Police also said that Mr Amrozi had given them the names of some of his fellow conspirators.""Al Qaeda admits Bali blasts on Web" (CNN.com, 2002/11/07)
"Islamic militant group al Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the bomb attack on a Bali nightclub in which more than 180 people died. ... The Web site has been used in the past by al Qaeda to claim responsibility for attacks, including the synagogue fire in Tunisia in which mainly German tourists died, and strikes on two ships in Yemen. The al Qaeda message read: "By attempting to strike a U.S. plane in Saudi Arabia and by bombing a Jewish synagogue in Tunisia, destroying two ships in Yemen, attacking the Fialka base in Kuwait, and bombing nightclubs and whorehouses in Indonesia, al Qaeda has shown it has no qualms about attacking inside Arab and Islamic lands." The statement was translated by CNN. "This is provided that the target belongs to the Jewish-Crusader alliance," it continues.""Bashir link to Bali suspect" (Martin Chulov, The Australian, 2002/11/08)
"The chief suspect in the Bali bomb blasts was visited three times during the past year by cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, the alleged spiritual leader of banned terrorist group Jemaah Islamiah who has for three weeks denied any involvement in the atrocity. Neighbours in suspect Amrozi's tiny east Java village, and the director of the Islamic school where he prayed, confirmed to The Australian yesterday that Mr Bashir had visited Mr Amrozi's mechanical workshop each time he came to town.""Suspect 'admits Bali bombing role'" (BBC News, 2002/11/07)
"Indonesian police say a man they are questioning has admitted involvement in the bomb attack that killed nearly 200 people at a Bali nightclub last month. National police chief Da'i Bachtiar said the man, whom he identified only as Amrozi, was the owner of the minivan used in the 12 October attack on the holiday island. Amrozi's exact role in the bombing remains unclear. Asked if Amrozi had parked the minivan packed with explosives outside the Sari Club, Mr Bachtiar said: "The group has several people with a division of labour, certainly including Amrozi, who admitted going there and dividing up tasks". ... The BBC's South-East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head says Amrozi appears to have acted as a field coordinator in the bombing.""Four suspects now held, say police" (AP/The Sydney Morning Herald, 2002/11/06)
"Four possible suspects in the Bali bombings that killed nearly 200 people last month are being held by Indonesian authorities, police officials said today. Major General I Made Mangku Pastika, who is heading the investigation team in Bali, said two additional men were picked up in Surabaya, the capital of East Java province yesterday. Police announced yesterday they had detained one man in the capital Jakarta and one in the city of Medan on Sumatra island. Pastika did not identify the new detainees and said it was "premature" to name them as suspects, adding that they had been detained after officers determined they bore a resemblance to composite sketches of three suspects released last week by police.""Bali suspect identified" (Sophie Morris and John Kerin, The Australian, 2002/11/01)
"As ASIO boss Dennis Richardson warned Australians could soon face terrorist attacks at home, Indonesia's police chief said one of three suspects in the October 12 Bali bombings had been identified. Speaking a day after Indonesian investigators and the Australian Federal Police released photo-fit images of three unidentified suspects, Police General Da'i Bachtiar said one had been identified and he hoped that would lead to the arrest of all three. "Out of the three men whose faces we have sketched, one has been identified," General Bachtiar told reporters after meeting with Indonesian Vice-President Hamzah Haz. General Bachtiar would not release the man's name but said that 'based on the identification, we are hoping to arrest the other two.'""From Bandung to Bali" (Bret Stephens, The Jerusalem Post, 2002/10/25)
"It was, perhaps, the most inane speech of its time, and - as these things tend to be - probably the most influential. On April 18, 1955, Achmad "Bung" Sukarno, founder and president of Indonesia, opened the first conference of Non-Aligned States in the Javanese city of Bandung. ... "Colonialism has also its modern dress, in the form of economic control, intellectual control, actual physical control by a small but alien community within a nation. It is a skillful and determined enemy, and it appears in many guises. It does not give up its loot easily. Wherever, whenever and however it appears, colonialism is an evil thing, and one which must be eradicated from this earth." High codes of political morality; the specter of a hidden enemy; calls for its annihilation; corrupt bargains in between - here, in a nutshell, was the essence of the tiers mondalisme Sukarno so completely embraced and embodied. ... It was not just a matter of bad men, or foolish men, gaining a grip on power. It was a fatal combination of bad and foolish men in the grip of bad and foolish ideas that led swiftly to the ruin of most of the postcolonial world. Bandung contributed grievously to this by casting the illusion of a fictive third way for a very real Third World. ... Now Bali, and Indonesia must confront the fact that she has to take sides. It is a heartrending end to a dream, played to the sounds of a gamelan. But it is also a long overdue awakening, and comes not a moment too soon.""Islam's widening battleground" (Fouad Ajami, usnews.com, from the 2002/10/28 issue)
"The great riddle of al Qaeda has been its Arab roots and its search for bases of operation in non-Arab lands. Grant the Arab rulers their due: They have exported their troubles to distant nations, driving their restless progeny in search of safe places from which the insurgents can strike at the world and, in time, settle their accounts with their own dreaded rulers. The carnage in Bali, in a resort at the Islamic world's eastern edge, confirmed as nothing else could radicalism's pan-Islamic reach. The plotters who struck the Indonesian nightclub were determined to bring their "terror international" to a land with a hitherto forgiving version of the Islamic faith. ... The Middle Eastern malady – victimology and the abdication of responsibility that goes with it – has made its way to faraway shores. Last year, 21 people died in the bombing of a Tel Aviv discothèque; the nightclub explosion in Bali killed several times as many. There are no idyllic places left. The war between order and malignancy has reared its head on yet another battlefield.""Bombing was good: Bali academic" (Eric Ellis, The Australian, 2002/10/22)
"One of Bali's foremost academics and cultural leaders says last week's Sari Club bombing was a "good thing" that would cleanse Bali of unwanted foreign influence. "This is the punishment of God because we have not developed cultural tourism but we have brought in many things outside our Balinese culture," Luh Ketut Suryani said in an interview with The Australian. ... A teacher of psychiatry at Denpasar's Udayana University, Professor Suryani is a towering figure among Indonesian scholars and is regarded by foreign academics as one of the world's leading experts on Balinese Hindu culture. ... An influential adviser to authorities in Denpasar and Jakarta, she also has proposed to local community leaders to leave the bomb site on Jalan Legian untouched, as a memorial to the evils of tourism.""Nightclub terror plans revealed" (Maria Ressa, CNN.com, 2002/10/22)
"An al Qaeda operative now in U.S. custody has told the FBI about plans to attack popular bars and nightclubs in Southeast Asia, according to classified documents. His name is Mohammed Mansour Jabarah, an al Qaeda operative arrested in Oman last March. ... Based in Indonesia, Al Faruq gave the CIA information last month which shut down several U.S. embassies in Southeast Asia. But a third plotter remains free - al Qaeda operative Riduan Isamuddin, aka Hambali. ... Jabarah told his FBI interrogators that Hambali was planning to 'conduct small bombings in bars, cafes or nightclubs frequented by westerners in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia.'""Militant Islam's New Strongholds" (Daniel Pipes and Jonathan Schanzer, New York Post/danielpipes.org, 2002/10/22)
"The recent bombing of a nightclub in Bali, Indonesia, killing at least 183 and injuring hundreds, fits into a larger pattern. Militant Islam used to be mostly confined to Middle Easterners, but in recent years it has spread to Muslims in other parts of the world. This can be seen especially in the cases of Indonesia, Bangladesh and Nigeria, three countries with a combined population of about 494 million inhabitants. ... In all, Muslim-Christian clashes in Indonesia have killed more than 19,000 since 1999 and left over 600,000 displaced from their homes. ... The Nation reports that some Buddhists and Christians [in Bangladesh] were blinded, had fingers cut off or had hands amputated, while "others had iron rods nailed through their legs or abdomen." Women and children have "been gang-raped, often in front of their fathers or husbands." In addition, hundreds of temples were desecrated and statues destroyed; thousands of homes and businesses looted or burned. ... That militant Islam and its companion violence have spread from the Middle Eastern core to the periphery of the Muslim world is of great concern. It means that the enemies of the United States, moderate Islam, and of civilization itself are far more numerous and entrenched than previously thought. This implies that the current war will likely be longer, bloodier and more demanding than most people imagine.""Muslim moderates demand crackdown on extremists" (AP/The Sydney Morning Herald, 2002/10/21)
"Indonesia's moderate Muslim organisations demanded today that authorities crack down against religious extremists, who they said represent a fringe minority among the country's 170 million Muslims. Former Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid said he believed that Abu Bakar Bashir, the spiritual leader of a group suspected in last week's Bali bombing, should have been arrested long ago. "I believe that Bashir is a terrorist," Wahid said in a radio interview. ... Wahid's organization, Nahdlatul Ulama - whose 40 million members make it the world's largest Muslim grouping - and the 30-million member Muhammadiyah both urged the government to act more decisively against small groups of militants such as Jemaah Islamiyah, which is suspected in the October 12 nightclub bombing in Bali that killed at least 180 people and injured around 300.""Report: Bin-Laden financed Bali massacre; planning to target Israel" (Douglas Davis, The Jerusalem Post, 2002/10/20)
"Osama bin-Laden, who is said to have transferred $74,000 to an Indonesian Islamic extremist group to purchase three tons of C4 plastic explosives for the Bali massacre, is also planning to mount attacks on Israelis and Israeli targets. The dramatic new revelations are contained in a secret American intelligence report published today by the London Sunday Times. The US intelligence document is said to include details of a confession by senior Bin Laden aide Omar Faruk, who was Bin Laden's envoy in south-east Asia until he was arrested in Indonesia last June and handed over to the CIA in Afghanistan. Faruk said the funds for the Bali bombing, which killed almost 200 people at a nightclub in the Indonesian holiday resort last week, were transferred from an account in the name of Sheikh Abu Abdullah Emirati, a pseudonym used by Bin Ladin. The money was received by Abu Bakr Ba asyir, leader of Jemaah Islamiya, the group which is suspected of having executed the atrocity. With the money in his hand, Ba asyir sent an assistant to buy the explosives, which were illegally sold by elements in the Indonesian army. Faruk is also said to have described other al-Qaida operations that were designed to kill Westerners and Israelis in Indonesia.""The secret mastermind behind the Bali horror" (Jason Burke, The Observer, 2002/10/20)
"He is 36, bearded, tubby and bespectacled. In the teeming cities of South-East Asia, he is virtually impossible to spot. He is one of the world's most wanted terrorists and the prime suspect for masterminding last weekend's Bali bomb. But intelligence agencies know they must find 'Hambali', the nom de guerre of Riduan Isamuddin, an Indonesian cleric believed to be al-Qaeda's mastermind in the region. ... Fifty people have been questioned. Little, apparently, has been learnt. However, a senior officer with the Banden Intelligen Nasional, Indonesia's civilian intelligence service, said yesterday that it believed a group of five to eight local men, led by a more senior man who had experience, expertise and a close link to the al-Qaeda leadership, had spent several months preparing the bomb. The man who led the cell, it believed, was Hambali. ... Whether Bashir is implicated or not, his organisation, Jemaa Islamiya, and al-Qaeda appear to have been conflated in the minds of many analysts and investigators. That means a crackdown might miss the real targets: the Bali bombers. According to Indonesian intelligence officials, more than 300 Indonesians were trained in al-Qaeda's camps in Afghanistan. Some have joined movements such as Lashkar Jihad or Jemaa Islamiya, but many more have simply gone to ground, meeting occasionally in small groups, staying in touch with more senior men. The local muscle for the Bali bombs included several of these people. They are looking for the man who recruited them: Hambali. In the huge South-East Asian cities, or among its islands and jungles, he is almost impossible to find.""Police close in on the sister of death" (Matthew Benns, The Sydney Morning Herald, 2002/10/20)
"Indonesian police are closing in on a woman suspected of having detonated the car bomb which killed 181 people in two crowded Bali nightspots a week ago. The woman, believed to be Indonesian, was seen by witnesses as she jumped from a minibus packed with explosives which was parked in front of the Sari Club last Saturday. ... Police have now confirmed that car was a minivan - a Mitsubishi L-300 - which was packed with C4 explosive and chemicals AMX, RDX and nitrate. ... Nattallia Sinclaire, wife of the owner of Paddy's, said a local member of staff had seen a man walk into the club and throw a plastic bag full of explosives. The woman, now in the burns unit of the local hospital, told her: "I will never forget his face as long as I live." It is understood that man also was Indonesian.""Indonesia Arrests Islamic Leader" (AP/The New York Times, 2002/10/19)
"Indonesia issued a tough anti-terror decree Saturday that would punish the Bali bombers with the death penalty, while the spiritual leader of an Islamic group suspected in the attack was arrested in connection with a spate of church bombings two years ago. ... President Megawati Sukarnoputri's government achieved two milestones in the anti-terrorism fight - ramming through emergency measures by decree after months of legislative delay in Parliament, and arresting the cleric Abu Bakar Bashir for the church attacks that killed 19 people. ... Bashir, who was hospitalized Friday with breathing problems, is now under guard at the main hospital in his hometown of Solo, said National Police spokesman Gen. Saleh Saaf. He initially avoided questioning by being hospitalized hours after giving a defiant sermon to about 300 followers in Solo in which he prayed for the safety of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. Doctors had said he probably would not released before Sunday.""No sympathy for the dead, but Bashir denies any guilt" (Matthew Moore, The Age, 2002/10/17)
"Asked if there was anything he wanted to say to families who lost relatives in the bomb blast, [Abu Bakar Bashir] said: "My message to the families is please convert to Islam as soon as possible." Mr Bashir offered no sympathy for those who died; just his belief that by converting to Islam, the survivors could ensure they would avoid the fate of those non-Muslims who died and went to hell. ... Mr Bashir, though, would not condemn the bombings. "Such places will be banned if we have Islamic government. Although it doesn't have to be destroyed, it must be prohibited because it corrupts the morals of society." Pushed on whether he believed it was good that a "sinful" place had been destroyed he said only: 'The building can still be used for a mosque.'""They want to kill us all" (Mark Steyn, The Spectator, from the 2002/10/19 issue)
"Mr [Bruce] Haigh was an Australian diplomat in Indonesia, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, and he's in no doubt as to why hundreds of his compatriots were blown up in Bali. As he told Australia's Nine Network, 'The root cause of this issue has been America's backing of Israel on Palestine.' You don't say. It may well be true that, for certain Muslims 'frustrated' by Washington’s support for Israeli 'intransigence', blowing up Australians in Bali makes perfect sense. But, if even this most elastic of root causes can be stretched halfway around the globe to a place conspicuously lacking either Jews or Americans, then clearly it can apply to anyone or anything... As the likes of Mr Haigh demonstrate every day, the more you insist the Islamist psychosis is a rational phenomenon to be accommodated, the more you risk sounding just as nutty as the terrorists. ... The first choice of Islamists is to kill Americans and Jews, or best of all an American Jew - like Daniel Pearl, the late Wall Street Journal reporter. Failing that, they're happy to kill Australians, Britons, Canadians, Swedes, Germans, as they did in Bali. We are all infidels. ... The objective isn't a self-governing Palestine but the death of the West.""Indonesia Links Muslim Group With Terrorism" (Raymond Bonner and Jane Perlez, The New York Times, 2002/10/17)
"The Indonesian government, under pressure from the United States to act decisively against terrorism here, took a major step today toward declaring a fundamentalist Islamic group, Jemaah Islamiyah, a terrorist organization. For nearly a year, Indonesia has dismissed claims that the organization was a threat, or even that it existed. ... In another abrupt about-face, Mr. Yudhoyono conceded that the organization's leader is Abu Bakar Bashir, a 64-year-old preacher who runs an Islamic boarding school in central Java. Mr. Bashir, who expresses admiration for Osama bin Laden and loathing for Jews and the West, has steadfastly denied that there is any such group as Jemaah Islamiyah.""Don't blame the west" (Clive James, The Guardian, 2002/10/16)
James on Australian pundits: "Not just the majority of the intellectuals, academics and schoolteachers, but most of the face-workers in the media, share the view that international terrorism is to be explained by the vices of the liberal democracies. Or, at any rate, they shared it until a few days ago. It will be interesting, in the shattering light of an explosive event, to see if that easy view continues now to be quite so widespread, and how much room is made for the more awkward view that the true instigation for terrorism might not be the vices of the liberal democracies, but their virtues. ... The consensus will die hard in Australia, just as it is dying hard here in Britain. On Monday morning, the Independent carried an editorial headed: "Unless there is more justice in the world, Bali will be repeated." Towards the end of the editorial, it was explained that the chief injustice was "the failure of the US to use its influence to secure a fair settlement between Israelis and Palestinians." ... But surely the reverse is true: they are students of the opposite of history, which is theocratic fanaticism. Especially, they are dedicated to knowing as little as possible about the history of the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. A typical terrorist expert on the subject believes that Hitler had the right idea, that The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is a true story, and that the obliteration of the state of Israel is a religious requirement.""U.S. Says It Told Indonesia of Plot by Terror Group" (Jane Perlez and Raymond Bonner, The New York Times, 2002/10/16)
"The United States repeatedly warned the Indonesian government in the weeks before the bomb blast that killed more than 180 people in Bali that a group linked to Al Qaeda was planning attacks to kill Americans and other Westerners, Bush administration officials said today. The American ambassador, Ralph C. Boyce, delivered the latest warning to President Megawati Sukarnoputri and her top advisers just a day before the bombing and gave her a deadline of Oct. 24 to act, the officials said. ... If the government did not act by the time President Megawati was to see Mr. Bush at a meeting in Mexico in late October, the Indonesian leader was told, the United States planned to send a public signal that Indonesia was a terrorist haven by ordering all but the most essential American diplomats home, the official said. In the aftermath of the Bali bombing, that is now happening. About 350 Americans connected with the United States Embassy - about 100 diplomats and the families of all diplomats - were ordered to leave the country by Friday, a State Department officer said. ... American officials voiced concern that even in the face of the Bali attack, President Megawati lacked the resolve to take action against militant Islamic groups. She heads the world's most populous Muslim country but has a famously passive style and has been reluctant to cross her vice president, Hamzah Haz, and other prominent supporters of the groups.""Breakthrough in hunt for Bali bombers?" (AFP/The Sydney Morning Herald, 2002/10/16)
"A source close to the inquiry said the bombers used a combination of powerful C4 plastic explosive and gas cylinders in an attempt to kill as many people as possible on the Indonesian resort island. Just before the main blast the attackers detonated a small bomb to bring people out into the street, the source told AFP. Eight bombers in two vans staged the attack which killed more than 180 people from over two dozen countries, a newspaper reported today. ... According to Tempo, the two vans used in the attack had first stopped near the popular Sari Club, causing a traffic jam in the narrow main street of Kuta while clearing a space in front of them. One van was left behind and the occupants switched to the other vehicle which sped off before the bomb blew up shortly thereafter, it said. "There are two possibilities, that the bomb was activated by a timer or the perpetrators just pushed a remote control button so that they can control the blast from a safe distance and give them enough time to flee," a police source was quoted as saying.""Traces of Explosives Found in Wreckage" (Ellen Nakashima and Alan Sipress, The Washington Post, 2002/10/16)
"Indonesian investigators have recovered traces of C-4 plastic explosives at the scene of the bombing Saturday night in Bali that killed at least 181 people, National Police Chief Da'i Bachtiar said. The material is similar to the explosives used to bomb the residence of the Philippine ambassador in Jakarta in August 2000, an attack that Philippine intelligence officials have blamed on a radical Islamic network known as Jemaah Islamiah. ... The police chief, Bachtiar, also said Tuesday that investigators were "intensively" interrogating two other men in connection with the attack. Police officials said one was a guard who witnessed the attack and the other was related to a person whose identification card was recovered at the scene. Police said they have questioned about 50 people. Early today, an Indonesian security official said authorities had detained a former military officer who might have assembled the bomb. Another government official, however, cautioned that it remains unclear whether the man is responsible." (See also: "Man confesses to making bomb that destroyed club" (Ellen Nakashima and Alan Sipress, International Herald Tribune, 2002/10/16): "The suspect, who is being held by Indonesian authorities, told investigators that he regretted the massive loss of life, but he has not disclosed who ordered him to make the bomb, according to the security official. The official said the suspect had learned to make explosives while serving in the air force, which later dismissed him for misconduct.")"A birthday treat, then the horror" (Lee Glendinning and Ellen Connolly, The Age, 2002/10/16)
"Six mothers gone. Their teenage daughters, stranded on the burning roof of the Sari Club. Scared about the long jump from the roof into the arms of strangers below, they don't know what to do. They start screaming, screaming for their mothers. Moments before, teenagers Ashley Airlie, Kristy Webster, Kristy and Marissa McKeon, Candace Buchan and Chloe Byron had been dancing and giggling enjoying the Kuta Beach nightlife under the nurturing eye of their parents. The girls were being taken out for their first nightclub experience after Ashley Airlie's 15th birthday at a nearby restaurant.""Newlywed set to bury her sisters, her bridesmaids" (Ellen Connolly, The Age, 2002/10/16)
"The wedding was 10 days ago. Now comes the funerals. But first, newlywed Maria Elfes, 27, must find the bodies of her four bridesmaids: her twin sister, Dimmy, elder sister, Elizabeth, 33, and friends Christine Betmalik, 29, and Louiza Zervos. The four missing Sydney women flew to Bali last week with the honeymooners to continue the wedding celebrations. "They all had dinner together on Saturday night and the girls wanted to go to a club but Maria and Kosta were tired from shopping so they went back to the hotel," a family friend said yesterday. Maria and Kosta were continuing their search of morgues yesterday.""Saudi link to Bali blast, says al-Qaeda prisoner" (Mark Huband, Financial Times, 2002/10/15)
"The spiritual leader of the Islamist group suspected of responsibility for the bombings in Bali was backed by a Saudi who gave $74,000 (£47,700) to buy explosives, a top al-Qaeda detainee has told US interrogators. Omar al-Faruq, an al-Qaeda-trained Kuwaiti arrested in Indonesia in June, is being held by US forces in Afghanistan. He has told US interrogators that the spiritual leader of the Jemaah Islamiah, Abu Bakr Bashir, was sent the money earlier this year. The explosives were bought from Indonesian army officers who sold the material illegally, Mr al-Faruq has said. Part of the cache may have been used in the Bali bombings which killed nearly 200 people at the weekend, said Rohan Gunaratna, a regional terrorism expert who has seen the US interrogation report.""Some Indonesians believe U.S. planned Bali bombings" (Andrew Browne and Jerry Norton, Reuters, 2002/10/15)
"Conspiracy theories that abounded in Indonesia after the September 11 attacks on the United States are resurfacing again, with stories in one widely read daily suggesting Washington planned the Bali bombings. Articles and commentaries in the newspaper "Republika", read by many professionals in the world's most populous Muslim nation, underline a deep undercurrent of anti-U.S. feeling in the country and help explain why authorities have been so reluctant to crack down on radical Islamic groups, according to diplomats and political analysts. In one article, an intelligence analyst commenting on the Saturday blasts that killed more than 180 people in Bali, is quoted as saying: "It's impossible that such as big plan was arranged by Malays. It can only be done by a superpower country." ... In another newspaper, a Muslim leader wrote in a column that suspicions "are strongly directed to foreign parties, in particular the U.S.". To explain why Washington would attempt to destabilise a country of great strategic interest, while it makes a difficult transition from authoritarian rule to democracy, he said the United States 'aims to create an opinion that it was true that Indonesia is a terrorist base and was a safe haven for these terrorists.'" (See also: "Indonesian Muslim militants claim U.S. behind Bali explosions" (The Jakarta Post, 2002/10/15))"The Eastern Front" (Ralph Peters, The Wall Street Journal, 2002/10/15)
"Far from striking major governmental or military targets, the terrorists have been reduced to sloven assassinations and, now, the calculated mass murder of young people. Once again, the terrorists have chosen targets that strengthen the hands of their enemies. ... Part of a desperate, world-wide attempt by Islamic terrorists to resume the offensive after the beating they've taken for the past year, these bombings brought global terrorism on a grand scale to Indonesia. A combined effort between the home team and foreign terrorists, the Bali massacre is doubtless being greeted as a triumph by terror's fugitive overlords. But the provocation was too great. This is a moment of truth for Indonesia, but its ultimate result is going to be the further destruction of terrorist networks and their active exclusion from one more significant country. For the human devils who planned the slaughter and placed the explosives, these truly were suicide attacks.""An enemy of America and a friend of Osama bin Laden" (The Age, 2002/10/15)
A transcript of a recent interview from ABC with Abu Bakar Bashir: "I hate the American Government but not the American people because they are being manipulated by Jews to fight against Islam. It is the duty of Muslims to hate America because they are launching an anti-Muslim crusade right now - this has been announced by President Bush himself . So as long as the US Government cooperates with Jews to fight us, it is incumbent on Muslims to hate America, to fight back. But I stress, I hate the US Government, not the people. I know there are good Americans. But there is nothing good to say about the US Government because they harbour evil designs against Islam. ...
Q: You say you are very anti-American. Does that stop with America, or does it include other countries, like Australia, that are getting on board with the so-called war on terrorism? Is it an anti-Western view?
A: It is our obligation to hate all nations helping the US because those countries who support America's war on terrorists are actually fighting against Islam. The Koran states that Jews and Christians hate Islam. Countries like Pakistan or even the Australian Government, we have to hate them because their fight is directed against Islam and is based on anti-Islam teachings, so we have to hate that.""'We will fight until we run out of blood'" (Tony Parkinson, The Age, 2002/10/15)
A profile of Abu Bakar Bashir: "In May, Bashir's legal action was thrown out of court as spurious. After the verdict, a defiant Bashir warned: "Infidels run this world. We will fight until we run out of blood." Bashir made a point of saying Indonesia should not accept military aid from the US, which he described as "Islam’s number one enemy". He went on to make the following claim: "The US Government has evil intentions with regards to Islam because it is controlled by the Jewish people. All the United States military aid that would come to Indonesia is a strategy to fight Muslims." After September 11, this rhetoric may sound all too familiar to Western ears. If Bashir is not bin Laden’s equivalent in South-East Asia, he is certainly singing from the same songbook.""Bali explosions: eyewitness accounts" (ABC News Online, 2002/10/14)
"My name is Scott Smithwick from the Lancefield Football Club. Ten members from our great club were in the Bounty Ship night spot celebrating our team-mate's 21st at the time of the attack. The lure of two-for-one drinks seemed too good to be true and the bar staff were very friendly. The night was going well until the first small boom was heard and three seconds after, the next massive explosion was heard and felt and everyone absolutely shit themselves when the power went down. The floor shook, glass shattered, the sound of screams all of which were in total darkness except for a huge fireball which was leaping into the sky. The power came back on and then the flood of people came running down the street screaming and tipping water all over each other. Skin was peeling off and a lot of other things that I wish never to think of or remember again. The smell, the look of fear, the rush of adrenalin and worst of all, the fear of being in a foreign country and not knowing where to help people, where to take them. Panic and confusion reigned supreme for hours. The bastard that let that bomb off was probably sitting 200 metres away laughing and patting himself on the back for a job well done. I feel for the Bali people, who will I believe be destroyed over this. It will take years for them to recover, if they ever do. Anyway, I'm just trying to let off some steam so I can try to sleep tonight safe in my bed at home. The bad thing is that I'm too scared to close my eyes for fear that a loud noise will wake me or that I dream of that terrible night.""Indonesia: The enemy within" (Bill Guerin, Asia Times, 2002/10/14)
"Their Hindu status in the Islamic nation has cost the Balinese dearly. In the bloody anti-communist purges of the late 1960s, given the green light by Suharto when he took over power, as many as 100,000 Balinese were killed, some as suspected communists, others because of their Chinese heritage. The Balinese are now not only shocked but very angry. There are unconfirmed reports of vigilante extremist Hindu groups setting up roadblocks in Kuta, Sanur and elsewhere to target Muslim Indonesians. For the Indonesian people as a whole the main responses are likely to one of great shame and also anger at their own authorities who have been unable to come to grips with the terror in their own country. ... The country's leaders show little sign of rising to meet the challenges and have preferred to slam the US in public as being anti-Indonesian and anti-Muslim rather than take warnings of terrorism seriously. For a month, the ambassador Boyce has been warning of a high risk of terrorist acts in Indonesia, but has been repeatedly slammed by religious leaders and many leading politicians, including Indonesia's Vice President Hamzah Haz. ... Akbar Tanjung, the House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker and chairman of the Golkar party, as well as a convicted felon, last week slammed the US government's plan to withdraw all of its representative staff from Indonesia, with the immortal words: 'There is no proof Indonesia is unsafe.'""Indonesian Muslim militants claim U.S. behind Bali explosions" (The Jakarta Post, 2002/10/15)
A new conspiracy theory, blaming the United States for the Bali terror attacks, is on the loose: "'We deplore and condemn the masterminds, fund raisers and whoever was involved in the bomb explosions in Bali,' said Habib Rizieq Shihab, leader of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), a Muslim militant group best known for its frequent attacks on bars, and other nightspots in Jakarta. "The incident could be used as reason for the United States and its allies to justify their accusations that Indonesia is a terrorist network base," Shihab said as quoted by DPA. ... Many Indonesian Muslim clerics and academics on Monday were raising questions about who could be behind the Bali tragedy, which has seemingly justified a stronger government stance against terrorists and their sympathizers. "Such a car bomb blast could be linked to the work of foreigners, especially the U.S. in a bid to attack hard-line groups deemed as terrorists," said M. Budyatna, a noted political observer and former dean of social and political studies at the University of Indonesia. "The terrorist label is intentionally given to Muslims in Indonesia in a bid to justify its hypothesis and in the hope of stigmatizing Indonesia in the eyes of international community," said another political expert Nadjamuddin Muhammad Rasul." (See also: "Outrage at Bali Bombs, Fingers Pointed at Al Qaeda" (Reuters, 2002/10/13): "At a news conference on Sunday, Bashir blamed the United States for the attacks. "It would be impossible for Indonesians to do it," he said. "Indonesians don't have such powerful explosives." 'I think maybe the U.S. are behind the bombings because they always say Indonesia is part of a terrorist network.'")"Australia uncovers al Qaeda links to Bali blasts" (Reuters, 2002/10/14)
Australia said on Monday it had information, particularly from Indonesian sources, linking al Qaeda to the Bali bomb blasts on Saturday that killed 181 people and wounded some 300. "We have some information, particularly from the Indonesians, that there are links to al Qaeda in this terrorist attack," Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told reporters on his arrival at Bali International Airport. ... His comments came a few hours after Indonesian Defence Minister Matori Abdul Djalil told reporters in Jakarta that the bomb blasts were the work of professionals and showed the presence of the al Qaeda network in Indonesia. Asked by reporters if there was a link between the blasts and al Qaeda, Djalil said: 'Yes, I am convinced that there is a link between al Qaeda and domestic terrorists.'"Bleeding hearts left exposed as fools" (Gerard Henderson, The Sydney Morning Herald, 2002/10/14)
"Perhaps those who blamed the US for September 11 will now realise they have been deluded. Who will be on Michael Leunig's Christmas card list this time? Last year, in the aftermath of the terrorist murders in the United States, the Melbourne-based cartoonist declared that it was time to extend "mercy, forgiveness, compassion" to, wait for it, the leader of al-Qaeda. Writing in The Age on Christmas Eve, the intellectual guru of Down Under's leftist luvvies declared: "Might we, can we, find a place in our heart for the humanity of Osama bin Laden and those others? On Christmas Day, can we consider their suffering, their children and the possibility that they too have their goodness? It is a family day, and Osama is our relative." It remains to be seen whether Leunig will exhibit similar sentiments this Christmas with respect to the weekend's massacre of the innocents. ... Then there are the asinine utterances of the infantile left. Remember the claim by Bob Ellis that there are many kinds of terrorism - including "a creditor's threatening letter" (The Canberra Times, January 14, 2002)? And Richard Neville's assertion in Amerika Psycho (Ocean Press, 2002) that US policy after September 11 can be explained in terms of Bush's aim to "extend America's grip on the wealth of the world". ... Whatever personal positions are held about Bush, Blair and John Howard, contemporary terrorism amounts to an attack on Western civilisation. The sooner this is understood, the sooner the likes of Leunig will recognise that bin Laden is one of those brothers who, if given the chance, commits fratricide; before, during or after Christmas.""This crime proves none of us are safe - and Britons may well be the next targets" (Robert Fisk, Independent, 2002/10/14)
Tim Blair points out this column by "the fucking dumbest dumb fuck of them all". Note how Fisk implies that deliberate mass murder of civilians and the military response against it are morally equivalent: "Australians were the principal victims and their murderers must have known they would be. So why were they targeted? John Howard has been among President Bush's toughest supporters. Australia lined up to join the "war on terror" within 24 hours of the attacks on New York and Washington last year. Australian special forces have been operating with American troops in the Afghan mountains against al-Qa'ida. It's a fair bet that yesterday's savagery was al-Qa'ida hitting back. ... The victims were largely young civilians, just as innocent as the thousands who died in the World Trade Centre. Civilians get no quarter in this war, whether they are investment brokers in New York, Afghan families or Australian honeymooners.""Bali is the price of indulgence" (The Daily Telegraph, 2002/10/14)
"The case of Indonesia raises a much wider issue. On the basis of poor advice from a friendly but weak head of government, too many American policy-makers accepted the idea that there is a great beast called the "Indonesian street". Unless this beast is ceaselessly propitiated, so the argument runs, it will turn round and devour the West's only hope in the area. But the terrible events in Indonesia have proved that feeding this creature whets, rather than satisfies, its appetite. There is a lesson here, surely, for those who constantly seek to raise the spectre of the "Arab street" as a reason for Western temporising in the Middle East.""Paradise lost" (The Times, 2002/10/14)
"The Indonesian Government’s response to the terrorist threat has been utterly inadequate. Warnings from Washington and, significantly, from the Singaporean and Malaysian Governments, have been ignored. The country is now counting the cost of that laxity. Tourism revenue will be undermined, regional airlines will be pushed to the brink of bankruptcy and foreign investment will surely look for safer ports. The Government has not only let down the tourists slaughtered on Saturday night, but it has failed the Indonesians toiling to rebuild an already shattered economy. The bloodshed highlights Western fears that Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has become a safe haven for terrorists."
"Terror in Bali" (Sydney Morning Herald, 2002/10/13)
The explosions light up the island skyline. Photo: AFP"Outrage at Bali Bombs, Fingers Pointed at Al Qaeda" (Reuters, 2002/10/13)
"The United States and Singapore, which has detained dozens of people in a crackdown on what it says is a Southeast Asian "terror" network, Jemaah Islamiah, have been pressing Indonesia to arrest Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir they describe as a pivotal player in the group. At a news conference on Sunday, Bashir blamed the United States for the attacks. "It would be impossible for Indonesians to do it," he said. "Indonesians don't have such powerful explosives." 'I think maybe the U.S. are behind the bombings because they always say Indonesia is part of a terrorist network.'""Holiday haven that became hell on earth" (Julie-Anne Davies, The Age, 2002/10/14)
"Sitting a short distance away from him in his Bali hotel room were four young girls, all from Sydney but all from different families. The eldest was 15, two were 14 and the fourth, just 12 years old. Last night they still didn't know whether their parents were dead after the murderous explosions that ripped through two nightclubs on the popular Kuta Beach strip. Michael and his mate, both from Perth, had been drinking at a bar three doors from the Sari when the explosion ripped through the nightclub. "We just ran on to the street and tried to do what we could but it was carnage, sheer bloody carnage," Michael said last night. "Then we saw the girls, one after the other, just wandering around in shock and we grabbed them and brought them back to our hotel to try and help them." One of the girls had told him she was on the dance floor when the club erupted into flames and had had to crawl over dead bodies to get out.""Deadly Blast Levels Bali Nightclubs" (Richard C. Paddock, Los Angeles Times, 2002/10/13)
"Eric Lloyd, a tourist from San Clemente, said he rushed to the site from his hotel and saw a horrific scene of carnage, with body parts strewn over the street. "I pulled out bodies with no arms. I pulled out live bodies with no legs," he said. "There were heads lying all around." Lloyd, 31, who joined other bystanders in helping to rescue survivors, said he believed the death toll could easily reach 300. Police were still pulling bodies from the rubble this morning.""Bali stunned by club bomb carnage" (CNN.com, 2002/10/13)
"'There was just a procession of people covered in blood, covered in glass, glass embedded in people, people's backs which have obviously been on fire,' said witness Richard Poore. "It was just horrible." An official with the American Chamber of Commerce said the explosion rattled windows at least 6 miles (10 km) away. The blasts and subsequent fire destroyed an entire city block, said Robert Koster, a journalist on the scene. It appeared the second explosion may have been caused by a car bomb, he said.""182 killed, 332 hurt in Bali's explosions" (Sukino Harisumarto, UPI, 2002/10/13)
"Most of the dead had been burned beyond recognition when the flaming roof of the Sari Club collapsed on them in a fire apparently fed by escaping gas. ... More than 200 people had been jammed into the Sari Club café, which was destroyed by the blast, an employee said.""'It was a horrible sight'" (BBC News, 2002/10/13)
"British tourist Matt Noyce, who was in a bar in Bali's Kuta beach when there was a massive explosion, tells the BBC what happened. 'Basically there was just a massive explosion. You didn't really realise it was an explosion to start with. You just saw a blinding light and your ears felt like they were exploding. There was just complete panic in the bar, loads of people diving for the door trying to scramble over each other. Then outside it was awful, like something you'd see out of Vietnam. There were bodies everywhere. It was pretty dark but you could tell some people were really badly injured. Lots of blood everywhere, people with burns. Some people with limbs that just, well, just terrible, terrible injuries.'""Finger of blame pointed at Jemaah Islamiya" (Mark Tran, The Guardian, 2002/10/13)
"The US and Singapore, which has detained dozens of people in a crackdown on Jemaah Islamiya, have been pressing Indonesia to arrest a Muslim cleric, Abu Bakar Bashir, whom they describe as a pivotal figure. But Indonesia says it has no evidence to link Mr Bashir to Jemaah Islamiya. The Bali bombings follow persistent reports that Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida organisation is trying to establish a foothold in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation. ... Jemaah Islamiya is an Islamic extremist group with cells operating throughout Southeast Asia. Recently arrested members in Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines have revealed links with al-Qaida. Jemaah Islamiya's stated goal is to create an Islamic state comprising Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and the southern Philippines. Three Indonesian extremists, one of whom is in custody in Malaysia, are the reported leaders of the organisation. The group developed plans in 1997 to target US interests in Singapore and, in 1999, videotaped potential US targets in preparation for attacks in Singapore. A cell in Singapore acquired four tons of ammonium nitrate, which has not yet been found." (See also: "The Southeast Asian Jihad" (Dana Dillon and Paolo Pasicolan, The Wall Street Journal, 2002/01/17) and "Al Qaeda network believed thriving in Indonesia" (Richard Halloran, The Washington Times, 2002/07/31))"Bombing at Resort in Indonesia Kills 182 and Hurts Scores More" (Raymond Bonner, The New York Times, 2002/10/13)
"The nightclub where the car was parked, the Sari, and an adjacent one engulfed by the flames, were popular with Western tourists. Officials said many of the dead and injured were foreigners, most of them Australians and Europeans. An American official said there were Americans among the casualties, though he did not have the number or names. ... No group took responsibility for the attacks but suspicions immediately fell on a radical Islamic organization based in Indonesia, Jemaah Islamiyah. The group and its leader, Abu Bakar Bashir, have been linked to plots against Americans by an operative of Al Qaeda who was seized in Indonesia and turned over to the Central Intelligence Agency several months ago. ... Bush administration officials say that 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 President Megawati. Mr. Bashir has a significant following among Indonesian Muslims, and has been warmly embraced by the country's vice president, Hamzah Haz.""Bali Nightclub Bombing Kills 171" (Slobodan Lekic, AP/Yahoo! News, 2002/10/12)
"A bomb destroyed a crowded nightclub on the tourist island of Bali Saturday, sparking a devastating inferno that killed at least 171 people and wounded 274 - many of them foreigners. Officials said it was the worst terrorist act in Indonesia's history. Authorities said a second bomb exploded near the island's U.S. consular office. Police said there were no casualties in the second explosion. The blasts came amid increasing fears by the United States and others that Indonesia - the most populous Muslim nation - is becoming a haven for terrorists and that al-Qaida operatives are active here. There was no claim of responsibility for the bombing in the Sari Club at the Kuta Beach resort, which officials said killed Indonesians along with Australians, Canadians, Britons, and Swedes. ... Witnesses on the famous tourist island, which draws large numbers of Australians, said that the nightclub blaze engulfed another nearby club and damaged several other buildings on the same block and a dozen cars. "The place was packed, and it went up within a millisecond," Simon Quayle, the coach of an Australian rules football team, told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio."
Copyright © Watch 2001-2006. Copyrights of quoted materials
belong to their respective owners.
"When
people accept futility and the absurd as normal, the culture is decadent.
The term is not a slur; it is a technical label."
Articles
of the week
"Losing the Enlightenment" (Victor Davis Hanson, OpinionJournal, 2006/11/29)
"Allah’s England?" (Daniel Johnson, Commentary. November 2006)
"'Sex in the Park': The latest doings of the Danish imams" (Henrik Bering, The Weekly Standard, 2006/11/18)
"Narcissism on Stilts" (Harold Evans, New York Sun, 2006/11/16)
"Terrorists are recruiting in our schools, says MI5 boss" (Philip Johnston, The Daily Telegraph, 2006/11/10)
›
AOTW Archive
From the archives
Oriana Fallaci, R.I.P.
"The Rage, the Pride and the Doubt" (Oriana Fallaci, The Wall Street Journal, 2003/03/13)
"How the West Was Won and How It Will Be Lost" (Oriana Fallaci, The American Enterprise, from the January/February 2003 issue)
"On Jew-hatred in Europe" (Oriana Fallaci, dennisprager.com, 2002/04/13)
"Anger and Pride" (Oriana Fallaci, dennisprager.com, 2001/12/19)
Weekly archive
2006/12/04
- 2006/12/10
2006/11/27 - 2006/12/03
2006/11/20 - 2006/11/26
2006/11/13
- 2006/11/19
2006/11/06
- 2006/11/12
2006/10/30
- 2006/11/05
›
From
2001/09/11 -
Monthly
index
December
2006
November
2006
October
2006
September
2006
August
2006
July
2006
›
From
September 2001 -
Author index
›
Ajami,
Fouad - Johnson, Paul
›
Kagan,
Robert - Ye'or, Bat
Support
Watch
Please
feel free to donate if you enjoy the daily content and links Watch provides:
Contact Watch
Email:
watch-at-windsofchange.net
