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