KUTA,
Indonesia, October 14 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Indonesia on
Monday, October 14, accused al-Qaeda of (alleged) involvement in the car
bomb attack on Bali which left 500 people killed and injured, and
promised tough new measures to combat terrorism.
As
tourists traumatized by Saturday's car bomb fled the resort island, the
Indonesian government moved to quell accusations of complacency over the
terrorism threat in the world's most populous Muslim nation.
Nobody
has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Defense Minister Matori
Abdul Jalil pointed the finger, for the first time directly, at Osama
bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.
"The
explosion in Bali is related to al-Qaeda," he told reporters.
"I'm sure the al-Qaeda network really exists (in Indonesia)."
For
his part, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer backed up the
claim, saying his government has information linking Saturday's bombings
to the group.
"We
have had some information, particularly from the Indonesians that there
are links to al-Qaeda in this terrorist attack," he told reporters
after arriving in Bali from Canberra
Top
Security Minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono warned of possible attacks on
oil and gas installations and vowed firmer action to stamp out
terrorism.
"The
government declares enough is enough," said Yudhoyono, as the
United States and Australia issued thinly-veiled warnings to Jakarta
that its earlier response to what they called Islamic militant threats
was no longer acceptable.
Many
of the victims were Australians, and Prime Minister John Howard said his
country, the United States and Britain had all offered Indonesia help to
combat terrorism in the archipelago.
"We
have a right and I have a duty to push upon and press upon the
Indonesian government the need for a cooperative effort in the
region," said Howard, who called a national day of mourning for the
victims.
Howard
said he was sending Downer, Justice Minister Chris Ellison and top
security officials for urgent talks with their Indonesian counterparts.
Meanwhile,
U.S. President George W. Bush said Monday that he “assumed” that the
car bomb blast at a nightclub in Bali was the work of the al-Qaeda
network.
"Clearly
the attack in Bali, I think we have to assume it is al-Qaeda," Bush
told reporters.
In
an attempt to justify his so-called war on terrorism, he said that a
series of recent attacks on a French supertanker off Yemen, shooting
incidents involving U.S. Marines in Kuwait and the weekend car bombing
on the Indonesian resort island of Bali appeared to fit a “pattern”.
"It
does look like pattern of attacks," Bush told reporters at the
White House.
Observers
and analysts have earlier pointed a clear finger of accusation to the
United States in the Bali blast saying it is the only winner from such
an attack which took place in the biggest Muslim country, which dragged
its feet in lining up behind the U.S. in its so-called war against
terrorism.
In
a separate related development, the U.S. State Department urged
Americans to leave Indonesia and began withdrawing some diplomats.
Police
chief General Da'i Bachtiar said he would welcome technical assistance
with the investigation and that help had been offered by the U.S.
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Britain's Scotland Yard, and Australian
Federal Police.
Indonesia
said it would step up security at all foreign diplomatic missions
following the blast, the worst terrorist attack since the September 11,
2001 attacks on the United States.
Yudhoyono
also said security would be intensified around key energy installations.
"There
are indications that these energy centers may possibly be targeted by
terrorists," he said after a cabinet meeting to discuss the attack.
In
Bali, morgue workers began the grim task of identifying scores of badly
burned bodies, as investigators sifted through the wreckage of the
bustling Kuta Beach bar and disco district destroyed on Saturday night.
 |
|
Bush
said he “assumed” that the car bomb blast at a nightclub in
Bali was the work of the al-Qaeda network
|
On
the beach, some 200 foreigners, many of them friends and relatives of
the victims, held a candlelit prayer Monday evening for the 183 people
killed in the bombing.
"It's
terrific to see people get together and show their determination to
overcome a cruel and senseless terror," said Sydneysider Andrew
Leonard, holding his year-old son.
The
attack has stunned the normally peaceful Hindu-majority island and sent
shockwaves through Indonesia's fragile economy.
As
more than 2,000 scared tourists cut short holidays and took extra
flights out of Bali, Indonesian shares plunged by more than 10 percent
on fears investors would now desert the country.
"The
bomb blast in Bali will create the perception that investment in
Indonesia is very risky," Rifan Financindo Securities analyst
Hariajid said.
Germany's
TUI, Europe's top tour operator, has cancelled all trips to Bali,
previously considered a safe tourist spot.
More
than 300 people, mostly foreigners, were injured and the Australian air
force evacuated nearly 200 of its citizens hurt in the blast.
New
Zealand said it was sending an air force plane to Bali Monday to
evacuate casualties as the country tried to account for 195 of its
citizens.
Indonesians,
Japanese, Britons, Swiss, Germans, Swedes, Americans, French,
Ecuadorans, Italians, South Koreans and South Africans were also among
the dead or wounded.
British
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said 18 Britons were confirmed dead and
that he feared the worst for 15 others listed as missing. 
