SE Asia: Never the same again after Oct. 12<\/p>\n
Belinda Olivares-Cunanan, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Asia News Network,
\nManila<\/p>\n
From all indications, the bombings in the exotic island resort
\nof Bali were well planned and a lot of investment went into
\nintelligence-gathering for this act of terrorism. The bombings
\nwere timed on a Saturday evening when the hangout places in Kuta
\nBeach were all full of young revelers out for cheap beer and
\nloads of fun. Because it hit mostly foreigners (last weekend some
\n10,000 to 20,000 Australians were believed to be on holiday in
\nthe island), the impact was greater.<\/p>\n
What made the terrorist attacks hurt Indonesia so much was
\nthat following the fall of Soeharto in 1999, the violent
\nseparatist movement in Aceh and racial and religious riots in
\nSulawesi and Maluku, Bali had remained untouched by trouble; many
\ntourists would head for that paradise island straight from
\nabroad, in the thought that it was safe.<\/p>\n
The powerful car bomb that hit the crowded nightclub was the
\nfirst such device used in Asia since the Vietnam War, whereas it
\nremains quite common in the Basque area of Spain where it spills
\nout into Madrid, and other parts of Europe.<\/p>\n
Moreover, the terrorists knew how to hurt the Indonesian
\neconomy. Its tourism industry, which brought in about five
\nmillion tourists in 2001, comes only second in foreign earnings
\nto oil and gas, and Bali is its crown jewel.<\/p>\n
Now Southeast Asia has its Oct. 12 in Bali, and like New York
\nafter Sept. 11, the region will never be the same again. For as
\nSingapore professor Shyam Tekwani, who studies the communication
\nstrategies of terrorist groups, put it, \"The explosions are a
\nconfirmation that the center of gravity for terrorist attacks has
\nshifted from the Middle East to South Asia and now Southeast
\nAsia.\" The problem with SE Asia, however, is that anti-terrorism
\nregulations are not in place here, rules are not being enforced
\nand security is often lax.<\/p>\n
Oct. 12 came as a rude awakening for our big neighbor. We hope
\nthat it too serves as a lesson that our government and people,
\ncan only ignore the recent events, especially the bombing of our
\nconsulate in Manado, North Sulawesi, at our peril.<\/p>\n
The world has become truly one global village, so that the
\nbombings in Bali have again put the rest of the planet on red
\nalert. At St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, there has never
\nbeen any security check before. But lately the security has
\narranged movement in the vast square so that it has full control
\nof the entrance and exits; all bags are searched and everyone,
\neven nuns and priests, are swept with metal detectors. It left me
\nbothered that the seat of Christendom is much too open to
\nattacks.<\/p>",
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