Sunday, October 02, 2005
BOMB AFTERMATH
Newcastle’s Jennifer Williamson, on her first visit to Bali, is the second Australian confirmed dead following the bomb attacks. The first was Perth teenager Brendan Fitzgerald:
A family spokesman says the boy’s 43-year-old father Terry is in a critical condition at Sangla Hospital in Denpasar, while his 13-year-old sister Jessica is in a serious but stable condition.
The spokesman says it was the first overseas trip for both the children, and they were due to return home tomorrow.
Another family had just returned to Bali:
An Australian family holidaying in Bali during the 2002 nightclub blasts had returned to the Indonesian resort island for the first time two weeks ago, only to be caught up in the latest blasts.
Meanwhile, reports that the attacks were carried out by suicide bombers are in dispute, despite certain evidence:
“They have three heads that they’re examining and that’s a typical outcome from a suicide bomber, but that’s not yet confirmed,” said Australian Federal Police chief Mick Keelty.
Some witnesses claim bombs were thrown rather than worn:
“A bomb went off right under our table,” said Joe Frost, 20, of Newcastle, who had been out with about 17 friends from his home city when bombs rocked two cafes at Bali’s popular Jimbaran beach.
“Someone ran past and threw it under there.
“The next thing I know I’m thrown to the ground. It’s all black and I can’t hear anything.”
Frost said he didn’t see the bomb thrower, but said two of his friends did.
Rumours of unexploded bombs are also circulating:
Emergency workers and local shopkeepers claimed another two bombs apparently failed to detonate because their mobile phone triggers failed to work when the local phone network collapsed after the initial two blasts.
Perth’s Gareth Parker writes to correct an earlier piece that claimed Australians in Bali had received detailed warnings of a bomb attack:
I’ve just spoken to Mick Collis, the Perth rugby player quoted on AAP, and his mate in Bali who gave the supposed warning. The story as it appears on AAP is rubbish. The local, a bloke called Hamish Sutherland, was only speaking in general terms. He had no specific information about any potential threats. He was just offering general advice that Saturday nights are not a good time to go out to tourist areas. Hamish teaches in a local international school and in that role has some responsibility for security. He was only aware of the general “bomb season” warnings made by the likes of SBY.
Speaking of warnings, Geoffrey Gold in Jakarta received the following automated e-mail last Thursday from the Australian government’s Smartraveller advisory service:
Australians are advised to defer non-essential travel to Indonesia. Australians in Indonesia who are concerned for their safety should consider departing. Australians who consider their presence in Indonesia to be essential should exercise extreme caution. The recommendation that Australians defer non-essential travel applies to Indonesia as a whole, including Bali.
We continue to receive a stream of credible reporting suggesting that terrorists are in the advanced stages of planning attacks against Western interests inIndonesia. Attacks could occur at any time, anywhere in Indonesia and could be directed at any locations known to be frequented by foreigners. The bomb attack outside the Australian Embassy on 9 September 2004 underscores that the threat to Australians in Indonesia is real. On 29 August, Indonesian President Yudhoyono called for heightened security in Indonesia during September and October due to the risk of terrorist attack.