International   

Indonesia seeks international support after Bali bomb blasts

P. S. Suryanarayana

Aim is to avoid speculation "lest it cloud investigations"

SINGAPORE: Indonesia on Saturday night appealed for global support in the wake of the bomb blasts in Bali and called upon the international community not to shun the island resort after the attacks.

Marty Natalegawa, a spokesman for the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, told The Hindu over telephone that Jakarta "calls upon the international community to stand by in this hour of tragedy." He emphasised that Indonesia had demonstrated its "solidarity" with the global community in its anti-terror campaign over time, and Jakarta would now want the world to reciprocate.

Dr. Natalegawa asked people across the world to "continue to come to Bali" and not be misled by the "actions of terrorists."

Without naming probable suspects, he said Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had instructed all the relevant agencies to track down the culprits.

Calling the latest attacks, the second in Bali after the October 2002 carnage, "a heinous and cowardly act against innocent people including children," Dr. Natalegawa said the primary aim now was to avoid speculation "lest it cloud the objectivity of our investigations." Jakarta had adopted "meticulous," even "old-fashioned" investigative practices to apprehend those behind the previous terrorist attacks in Indonesia.

President to visit

AP, AFP report from Jakarta:

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will leave for Bali to inspect scenes of bomb blasts that rocked the tourist resort island of Bali on Saturday, Presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng said.

Moments after closing a special meeting at Halim Perdanakusumah Air Force base, the President ordered Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo, State Intelligence Agency head Syamsir Siregar and Indonesian police chief General Sutanto to leave for Bali on Saturday night. The special meeting was also attended by Indonesian Military Chief General Endriartono Sutarto and Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi.

Mr. Andi said the President would leave soon but the exact time had not yet been fixed.

Needle of suspicion

Only the militant Islamic group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) is capable of mounting the sort of explosions that rocked Bali on Saturday, a prominent Asian expert on terrorism said.

Rohan Gunaratna, head of terrorism research at Singapore's Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, said the Indonesian Government should now declare the JI a criminal or terrorist group. — AP, AFP

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Indonesia seeks international support after Bali bomb blasts
Hamas loses in West Bank poll
Iran threatens to withhold oil sales
U.S. daily assails Musharraf's "lies"
Cheney aide revealed as source of CIA leak
"Musharraf must cede power"
Cover-up alleged in Menezes case
The shrinking screen
A list of intellectuals
SLFP forms panel to coordinate with allies
Station master bears the brunt
Soyuz blasts off with tourist
Sarabjit's confession had no evidentiary value, says lawyer
Russia open to more oil projects: Aiyar
Hasina flays BDR

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu