Speedy action fails to calm fears<\/p>\n
Dewi Kurniawati, Deutsche Presse-Agentur\/Bali<\/p>\n
As Indonesian authorities continued an intense manhunt for the
\nmasterminds behind the weekend suicide bombings on Bali, fears
\npersisted about a future attack on the island.<\/p>\n
Unlike the bombings of 2002, many tourists this time around
\nhave refused to flee Bali so far, but warnings from foreign
\nembassies and anonymous text messages about a pending attack that
\nare circulating the island by mobile phone have left expatriates
\nand locals on edge.<\/p>\n
\"Do I feel safe?\" Mike Krueger asked. \"I don't know. I see no
\npolice around guarding us.\"<\/p>\n
Some said the initial investigation by Indonesian police after
\nSaturday's attack, which killed 22 people and injured more than
\n130, has been faster than after the bombings in October 2002,
\nwhich claimed 202 lives.<\/p>\n
Within 48 hours, Indonesian authorities concluded that the
\nbombing was carried out by three suicide bombers and released an
\namateur video taken by a family on vacation showing one of the
\nbombers walking into one of the targets, a restaurant in Kuta.<\/p>\n
\"I think the Indonesian police have done a pretty quick job on
\nthe investigation,\" political analyst Ikrar Nusa Bhakti said. \"I
\nbelieve the Indonesian police in Bali have gained more knowledge
\nin dealing with terror attacks after the first bomb.\"<\/p>\n
But some tourists and locals remained unconvinced that the
\nswift reaction from police was a sign that they could ensure
\ntheir safety against future attacks.<\/p>\n
An Indonesian journalist was rudely told to open his backpack
\nby a foreign tourist one evening this week when he was about to
\nhave dinner in a restaurant in Seminyak, a popular tourist area
\nnear Kuta that the Australian embassy warned could be the target
\nof the next attack.<\/p>\n
The incident resulted in name calling and an argument between
\nIndonesian friends of the journalist and the Australian tourist.
\nAnother male journalist with a backpack was also harassed in Kuta
\nby a foreign tourist who said, \"All Indonesians should just leave
\nthe Island.\"<\/p>\n
\"They must be afraid,\" Rami Kadri a Canadian tourist, told dpa
\nwhile sipping a beer in an open cafe near Legian Beach. \"It's a
\nnormal reaction from people. I can understand that.\"<\/p>\n
Security analysts compared the latest Bali bombers with the
\nJuly 7 bombers in London, who also traveled on foot and used
\nsmall backpacks, as evidence that suicide bombers were moving
\naway from the use of vehicles to methods that were more difficult
\nto detect.<\/p>\n
The latest bombings in Bali, in which two cafes on Jimbaran
\nbeach were also hit, also exposed the vulnerability of
\nrestaurants and other open establishments to such attacks.<\/p>\n
\"I am worried about my customers' safety,\" Ian, a Balinese
\nmanager at the German-owned Tekor Bali Cafe in the Legian Beach
\narea, said. \"We are extra-careful now after the blast. We are
\ndoing our best to protect our customers.\"<\/p>\n
\"If I see a suspicious individual, I will ask them questions
\nfirst before I let them in,\" he said.<\/p>\n
But while a number of wary expats and tourists on the island
\nwere staying out of restaurants, others were still refusing to
\nlet even the threat of another bombing ruin their party moods.<\/p>\n
\"We might have a totally different backgrounds,\" Claudia
\nGranberg, a tourist who grew up in Nicaragua, surmised while
\nwatching the sunset in a Legian cafe. \"I grew up seeing a lot in
\nmy life - revolutions, floods, quakes - one after the other, so I
\nam not so worried being here or feeling even paranoid.\"<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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