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| Southeast Asia |
| Bashir calls bombings a sign from God |
| 2005-10-05 |
| New terror fears gripped Asia on Tuesday, sparking security scares at embassies and travel alerts, but Indonesia shrugged off calls to outlaw the militant group suspected in the deadly suicide bombings on Bali island. Investigators were piecing together evidence -- pellets, batteries, cables and detonators -- from the scenes of the blasts and renewed calls for anyone who recognized grisly photographs of three suicide bombers to step forward. Two men were being held for questioning, but they have not been named as suspects, said Bali police chief Maj. Gen. I Made Mangku Pastika, adding that 39 witnesses were also being debriefed. Southeast Asian nations have gone on high alert to prevent a repeat of the Saturday night attacks on three crowded restaurants that killed 22 people, putting hundreds of thousands of troops on standby, tightening security on beaches and at resorts, and stepping up border security. Tighter security has already been implemented across Bali, as shops put up shatterproof glass and some hotels hire one security guard for every 10 rooms. Police are on the streets and at the airport in force, and officials say searches and metal detector screenings will become even more common. "Bags will be checked. Cars will be checked. This is an inconvenience, but it is for safety reasons," Indonesia's Tourism Minister Wacik said Tuesday. "The world community has become more immune to bombs going off. London and Madrid recovered, and we will recover." Adding to tensions, a Muslim cleric jailed for conspiracy in the 2002 bombings that killed 202 people on the same resort island said Tuesday the latest attacks were a warning from God. Suspicious packages threatening retaliation for injustices against Muslims were sent to six Asian and European embassies in Malaysia -- including Canada, Germany, and Thailand -- forcing evacuations and the closure of the Japanese mission. The parcels were later dismissed as a hoax, as was a tip-off that the U.S. Embassy had also been targeted, said Abdul Aziz Bulat, Kuala Lumpur's police head of criminal investigations. No one has claimed responsibility for the coordinated attacks that also wounded more than 100 people. But suspicion immediately fell on the al-Qaida-linked terror group Jemaah Islamiyah -- which allegedly orchestrated the 2002 Bali bombings. Australia, which lost 88 citizens in the earlier attacks, warned Tuesday of further possible strikes on the island and again urged Jakarta to ban Jemaah Islamiyah. But Indonesia shrugged off the call. "It is an underground movement. We can only ban an established organization," said presidential spokesman Andi Malarangeng, adding that the government would continue to fight terrorism "under whatever name." From his prison cell, Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir -- the group's alleged spiritual leader -- said in a statement that last weekend's blasts were a sign of God's displeasure with the Indonesian government. "I suggest the government bring themselves closer to God by implementing his rules and laws because these happenings are warnings from God for all of us," said Bashir, who has campaigned for the implementation of Islamic Shariah law in Indonesia. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #5 Substitute DU for "Arab outlets" and you've described a lot of folks here in Madison . . . |
| Posted by: James 2005-10-05 13:17 |
| #4 JT - That and the facts that they choose to get their "news" from BS Arab outlets and choose to never connect the dots. Cognitive dissonance seems to be en exclusively Western phenomenon. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-10-05 08:55 |
| #3 So your terrorists buds being hammered in Afghanistan and Iraq is a sign from Allah that they don't speak for him. Why doesn't that concept dawn on these A-holes? Maybe because they're A-holes filled with crap for brains. |
| Posted by: Javirt Thrusing6823 2005-10-05 08:47 |
| #2 Well said that man. |
| Posted by: Howard UK 2005-10-05 07:41 |
| #1 Re: JI - "Indonesia shrugged off calls to outlaw the militant group" Okay, we hear you. Try writing off non-Muzzy tourism, investment, hi-tech mfg, the lot. See where that gets you, assholes. Call it a sign from Civilization. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-10-05 06:41 |