Australians ready for RI Xmas despite warning

Australians ready for RI Xmas despite warning

Agencies, Jakarta/Sydney, Australia

Thousands of Australians are preparing to spend Christmas in
Indonesia, particularly on the resort island of Bali, despite
travel warnings from their government.

Bali was the target of a terrorist attack that claimed at
least 202 lives, including 88 Australian holidaymakers, in
October 2002.

Australian travel agencies and airlines reported few
cancellations, although the Department of Foreign Affairs and
Trade (DFAT) had issued a warning that it had credible
intelligence of a potential attack in Indonesia, possibly
targeting a Western hotel.

Federal Police commissioner Mick Keelty said the perpetrators
of the September bombing targeting the Australian Embassy in
Jakarta had originally been planning a second strike at the
city's JW Marriott Hotel.

In Jakarta, Indonesian foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda
regretted Australia's going public about the threats instead of
informing the Indonesian police of a possible terror attack.

"If they have credible information, they should have shared it
with the National Police. Both countries have already had good
cooperation in (combating) terrorism since the Bali bombing,"
Hassan told reporters on Friday.

While acknowledging that the travel advisory did not prohibit
Australian tourists from traveling to Bali and merely warned them
against travel, he said Australia's move would be disadvantageous
to bilateral cooperation in fighting terrorism.

"Issuing a travel warning is not beneficial in our cooperation
against terrorism. These warnings will benefit the terror groups,
because people are afraid to travel," he said.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, in Vanuatu for
talks with its new government, said it would be a national
scandal if the government had information about a potential
terror attack and decided not to pass it on to the people.

Downer also rejected claims that Australia did not adequately
disseminate the warning to top Indonesian officials, and said it
was still up to Australians in Indonesia to decide what to do.

"People in the hotel and people in Jakarta should generally be
aware of the threats," Downer told ABC Radio from Port Vila.

Keelty said in Brisbane that he supported the decision by
Downer to issue the warning.

He said a federal police team had been working in Indonesia on
the attacks in Bali, last year's Marriott Hotel blast that killed
12 and the embassy blast that claimed 11, and knew much more
about local terrorist groups than it did two years ago.

Keelty added police had knowledge of some attacks, but without
precise details.

Britain, Japan, New Zealand and the United States also issued
their own warnings, but did not mention probable targets.