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.