Bombs won't hinder democracy or tolerance, Indonesia tells UN
Bombs won't hinder democracy or tolerance, Indonesia tells UN
Indonesia will not be deterred by deadly bombings in Bali from its quest for an open and democratic society, its UN ambassador said on Tuesday (Wednesday in Jakarta), vowing to identify the attackers and bring them to justice.
At the same time, Indonesia's government intends to press on with efforts "to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence through empowering the moderates of our society," Ambassador Rezlan Ishar Jenie told the 15-nation UN Security Council in New York.
The government will also work hard to ensure that the holiday island of Bali retains its status as a global tourist destination and is not "crushed by terrorists hoping to scare visitors away," Jenie said.
"Bali will recover, it will continue to grow and it will continue to receive visitors from all over the world," he said.
Jenie spoke after the Security Council unanimously adopted a statement calling on governments to do what they can to ensure that the organizers, financiers and sponsors of last Saturday's bombings are found and prosecuted.
"Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security," the council statement said. "Any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed."
The Security Council also condemned last weekend's suicide bombings in Bali, and demanded that the perpetrators be brought to justice.
In a presidential statement, the council expressed its condolences for the victims and their families.
Indonesian police were widening their hunt on Tuesday for the masterminds of Saturday's bomb attacks that killed 22 people on Bali, but so far have made no arrests.
The top targets in the nationwide search were Malaysians Azahari bin Husin and Noordin M. Top, fugitive leaders of the al- Qaeda-linked Jamaah Islamiyah militant Islamic network.
Police say Azahari and Noordin helped plan the Bali blasts of 2002, which killed 202 people, as well as subsequent deadly attacks on a luxury hotel and an embassy in Jakarta. -- Agencies