Howard to go to Bali as victims slam Canberra

Howard to go to Bali as victims slam Canberra

Chris McCall, Agence France-Presse, Sydney, Australia

Australian Prime Minister John Howard vowed on Thursday to attend commemorations of the Bali bombings as victims expressed anger at Canberra's failure to issue a warning last year that the tourist isle could be targeted by terrorists.

As Indonesian police hunted for two more terrorist bombs amid fears of another attack on the Oct. 12 anniversary, Howard said he did not personally feel unsafe.

Foreign minister Alexander Downer said there was no specific intelligence pointing to another attack, but there was general information suggesting new terror attacks were being planned in Indonesia. Bali could not be ruled out as a target, he said.

Howard said despite the concerns he would only consider pulling out of the trip if the situation changed dramatically in coming days.

"I wouldn't want anybody to think other than that I want to go and intend to go and I will go, absent some particularly serious deterioration in the situation," he said.

"I can understand that those who have lost their loved ones will want to do the same thing. It's also important that I go as prime minister to show my concern and sympathy and ongoing support for the people who have lost so much.

"I don't personally feel unsafe."

In Adelaide, survivors and victims' family told a Senate inquiry of their anger at Australia's failure to warn them in time last year that Bali could be a target.

"The Australian government, whether they are guilty or not guilty, didn't do the right thing," said Julian Burton, who suffered burns in the attack.

Magistrate Brian Deegan, whose 22-year-old son Joshua was killed, said he was disgusted with the government. His son would never have gone to Bali if he had realized he could be victim of a terrorist attack.

Deegan criticized Australia's policies over East Timor, Osama bin Laden and Iraq, saying they had made radical Muslims angry toward Australians.

"Were it not for my position, for my education, perhaps I too may have been involved in reprisals," he said. "Why did we not warn my son?"

The inquiry has already heard that Downer discussed putting out a travel advisory on Bali four months before the bombing, when it was named as a possible site for a terrorist attack. Australia only began advising its citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to Bali after the bombings.

Police in Bali are preparing a massive security operation for the Oct. 12 ceremonies, involving 5,000 personnel. Bali Police Chief Insp. Gen. I Made Mangku Pastika has said he will take precautions against a car bombing or suicide attack.

Indonesian police are also looking for two more terrorist bombs, whose existence was revealed by suspects arrested after the JW Marriott Hotel car bombing in Jakarta on Aug. 5.

Police have blamed that bombing on Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), the group blamed for the Bali attacks. Bali police said it was unclear whether the two bombs were made specifically for attacks during the remembrance celebrations.

Foreign minister Downer said there was "generic information" about a possible attack in Indonesia, but none specific to Bali. On Wednesday Australia issued new travel advice on Bali, warning those intending to attend the ceremonies to regularly check for updates.

"We don't have any intelligence about a planned attack on October 12 or a planned attack in Bali at all," Downer said in a television interview from New York. "Obviously we will alert people if we do get that sort of intelligence.

"We do have generic information that there could be terrorist attacks in Indonesia, possibly in Bali, but certainly in Indonesia.

There were still terror elements in Indonesia who had yet to be arrested, Downer said, so travel there inevitably involved an element of risk.