Philippines on alert, condemns Indonesian bomb blasts<\/p>\n
Agencies, Zamboanga\/Manila<\/p>\n
The Philippines on Sunday condemned as a terrorist act the bomb
\nattack that killed at least 182 people on the Indonesian island
\nresort of Bali and stepped up security at key installations.<\/p>\n
\"We condemn this despicable act of terrorism. This is really
\nbrutal and right in the heartland of tourism in Indonesia,\"
\nNational Security Adviser Roilo Golez said.<\/p>\n
Golez said he had been in touch with authorities in
\nneighboring Indonesia and had been assured that no Filipinos were
\namong the casualties, many of whom were foreign tourists.<\/p>\n
Foreign Secretary Blas Ople ordered Philippine embassies
\nworldwide to take precautions following another Saturday's
\nbombing of Manila's consulate in the central Indonesian city of
\nManado, North Sulawesi, about 2,160 kilometers (1,350 miles)
\nnortheast of Jakarta. The bombing caused minor damage but no
\ninjuries.<\/p>\n
The Philippine foreign affairs department said the bomb was
\nhurled by unidentified men and landed just outside the Philippine
\nconsulate gate. There were no apparent injuries, the department
\nsaid, but added Indonesian police \"later reported finding traces
\nof blood at the scene and have thus alerted area hospitals
\naccordingly.\"<\/p>\n
Indonesian officials said it was not immediately clear if the
\nattack on the Philippine consulate was related to the blasts in
\nBali.<\/p>\n
The attack was the second on Philippine property in Indonesia
\nin recent years. A car bomb exploded two years ago in front of
\nthe Philippine ambassador's residence in the capital, Jakarta,
\nkilling two people and injuring dozens, including Philippine
\nambassador Leonides Caday.<\/p>\n
The motive for the attack on the Philippine consulate is
\nunclear.<\/p>\n
There has, however, been some recent tension between the two
\ncountries. Hundreds of Indonesians have demanded the release of
\nan Indonesian citizen convicted in Manila for illegal explosives
\npossession.<\/p>\n
Agus Dwikarna and two other Indonesian men were arrested March
\n14 as they arrived at Manila's international airport from Bangkok
\nfor what they said was a business meeting.<\/p>\n
The other two men were later released, but Philippine police
\nofficials said Dwikarna was found carrying C-4 plastic explosive.
\nHe was sentenced last July to up to 17 years in prison.<\/p>\n
Philippine police have said Dwikarna was a member of the
\nJemaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asia-based group that is suspected
\nof links to al-Qaeda and allegedly planned to attack Western
\ntargets in Singapore earlier this year.<\/p>\n
Philippine intelligence agents also detained four Indonesians
\nin anti-terrorist raids in southern General Santos city last
\nmonth. Officials said one of the four allegedly helped plot bomb
\nattacks that killed 15 people in General Santos last April.<\/p>\n
\"We have to consider all possibilities here. We have to be
\nprepared,\" Golez said. \"The (national police) has been instructed
\nalready to make sure that we are on heightened alert.\"<\/p>\n
Authorities should be wary about \"copycat\" attacks in the
\nPhilippines, Golez said even as he did not dismiss the
\npossibility that the Bali attack could be a part of a larger
\nthreat across the region.<\/p>\n
President Gloria Arroyo's spokesman Ignacio Bunye said
\nPhilippine consulates and embassies abroad were told to \"observe
\nextra precautions to assure the safety of personnel.\"<\/p>\n
Indonesian embassy spokesman Triyogo Jatmiko said on Sunday
\nthe attack on the Philippine consulate was considered a terrorist
\nact aimed at discrediting his government.<\/p>\n
Military southern command spokesman Lt. Col. Fredesvindo
\nCovarrubias said the intelligence community was on guard for
\npossible attacks by Abu Sayyaf Moro rebels, linked by Washington
\nand Manila to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.<\/p>\n
\"We have doubled the security in the southern Philippines
\nbecause of recent attacks in Indonesia and the threats posed by
\nAbu Sayyaf rebels and other lawless groups,\" Covarrubias said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Philippine troops pounded Moro guerrilla positions
\nwith bombs and cannon fire, killing 20 rebels, as fighting raged
\nfor the second day on Sunday in the country's troubled south, the
\nmilitary said.<\/p>\n
The military launched the attack shortly after another
\nguerrilla group killed 11 soldiers and wounded 26 others in a
\nseparate clash on Jolo island, off Mindanao.<\/p>\n
The fighting on Mindanao and on nearby Jolo coincided with the
\narrival of some 800 U.S. Marines have arrived in the Philippines
\nfor two weeks of military exercises with their Filipino
\ncounterparts on the main island of Luzon, officials said on
\nSunday.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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