Downer pledges aid for Bali blast probe<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Kuta, Bali<\/p>\n
Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer said here on
\nTuesday his government would do everything to help Indonesia
\nreveal those behind Saturday's bombings by joining a multi-
\nnational task force of investigators comprising members from
\nIndonesia, the United States, Britain, Germany and Japan, as well
\nas Australia.<\/p>\n
Speaking during a press conference at the Australian consulate
\nin Renon, Denpasar, Downer said that Australia had already sent
\n17 investigators from the Australian Federal Police (AFP), \"and
\nthere will be more coming, up to around 40 officers.\"<\/p>\n
The AFP officers would closely work with investigators from
\nthe U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Britain's
\nScotland Yard and experts from Germany and Japan.<\/p>\n
\"What I've seen today is enough to break anyone's heart, a
\nsimply shocking sight, utterly appalling and it drives home to
\nanybody the evil of terrorism, of mass murder,\" Downer said,
\ngiving vent to his feelings after visiting the bomb site in
\nLegian, Kuta, which is now tightly guarded by the security
\nforces.<\/p>\n
Downer, accompanied by Australian justice minister Chris
\nEllison, laid a wreath during a ceremony at the place where
\nPaddy's and the Sari Club had once stood. Earlier, he had met
\nwith People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais and Bali
\nGovernor I Dewa Made Beratha.<\/p>\n
The ceremony was also attended by religious leaders
\nrepresenting Indonesia's five major faiths, Islam, Hinduism,
\nBuddhism, Catholicism and Protestantism. He described the
\nceremony as being \"touching and moving.\"<\/p>\n
\"No single religion should be taken as being responsible for
\nterrorism,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Asked whether the bombing had any connection with Al-Qaeda or
\nthe local Jamaah Islamiyah militant group, Downer explained, \"At
\nthis stage, we just really don't know.\"<\/p>\n
Downer also said that there was no evidence suggesting that
\nthe bomb attacks had deliberately targeted Australian citizens.<\/p>\n
\"We think that it's more likely that foreigners more generally
\nwere deliberately targeted,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Downer will meet with Coordinating Minister for Political and
\nSecurity Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Downer's
\ncounterpart Hassan Wirayuda in Jakarta on Wednesday morning to
\nfurther elaborate on the cooperation.<\/p>\n
Chief of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) A.M.
\nHendropriyono confirmed on Tuesday that one of the bombs that
\nexploded last Saturday night contained C4. Hendro blamed
\ninternational terrorists for the tragedy.<\/p>\n
\"The information (about the kind of bomb) has not been
\nreleased officially, but informally, yes, it (one of the bombs)
\nwas made from C4,\" Hendropriyono told reporters during a visit to
\nSanglah General Hospital in Denpasar.<\/p>\n
\"Our country has been attacked. This is a serious attack and
\nit is embarrassing. I have been warning this country for the last
\nyear and now I, again, ask all components of the country to help
\nthe security authorities solve the case and to arrest the
\nperpetrators. Don't be a betrayer by protecting them (the
\nperpetrators), psychology or physically,\" Hendropriyono further
\nwarned.<\/p>\n
C4 was the same material used in the bomb that exploded at the
\nPhilippine ambassador's residence in Jakarta two years ago.
\nMilitary sources said that only the U.S. could produce the
\nmaterial. Nevertheless, Hendropriyono said that it could be
\nbought by other countries on the black market.<\/p>\n
Hendropriyono further said that both the technology and skills
\nemployed by the bombers indicated that they were from abroad. He
\nrefused to name a particular country, saying that \"intelligence
\nhas thus far made a preliminary analysis but it will take some
\ntime to indicate the perpetrators.\"<\/p>\n
\"If we look at the first bomb in the nightclub (Paddy's
\nClub) ... it was of low explosive which was only aimed at
\ncreating panic among visitors who naturally would run out from
\nthe club (Paddy's and Sari Club) ... but the second bomb ...
\nwhich went off on the road was a high explosive device.<\/p>\n
\"They (the bombers) must have carried out surveillance before
\nattacking these places,\" Hendropriyono said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Amien told reporters after meeting with Downer in
\nSanur that he would urge President Megawati Soekarnoputri to
\nimmediately act and take every opportunity to work with other
\ncountries to reveal the identities of the attackers and the
\nmotives behind the outrageous terrorist act.<\/p>\n
\"We have to show to the international world that Indonesia is
\nserious in dealing with terrorism,\" Amien said.<\/p>\n
He also suggested that Indonesia work with overseas countries
\nin dealing with money laundering that could be used by certain
\nparties in Indonesia or elsewhere to finance terrorist actions.<\/p>",
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