NZ still trying to account for over 500 nationals in Bali
NZ still trying to account for over 500 nationals in Bali
Agencies, Wellington
New Zealand continued on Tuesday to track 551 of its nationals
known to have been in Bali, Foreign Minister Phil Goff said,
stressing they were not all thought to have been near Kuta Beach
during the weekend bombing.
The level of concern over the possible New Zealand casualties
in the blast that rocked the once-idyllic Indonesian island on
Saturday is mounting.
Foreign ministry officials say one New Zealander killed has
been provisionally identified, while "grave concern" is felt for
two others known to have been near the Sari Club at the blast's
epicenter.
A total 753 New Zealanders had been accounted for so far, Goff
said, and the missing 551 were of "lesser concern" than those
missing from the heavily-touristed area around the nightclub.
"We have a further list of 551 who we are trying to track
down," he said.
"There could be a higher toll, we hope not. But as was the
case in New York, you cannot be sure because of the general
confusion, chaos and because of the fact of 184 or so people who
are thought to have died," he said, referring to the uncertainty
that followed the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on New York's World Trade
Center.
Ministry spokesman Brad Tattersfield said it was possible the
New Zealand death toll could rise, as only about 30 bodies had
been identified and bodies were still piled up in bags waiting to
be processed.
New Zealand consulate staff in Jakarta continued to search
hospital morgues on Tuesday, armed with passport photos and
information on the missing.
Meanwhile, parliament held a minute's silence to mark the Bali
bombing.
Prime Minister Helen Clark described the attack as "cold-
blooded and barbaric," saying it had shattered scores of innocent
lives.
Clark said underlying immediate actions needed in caring for
the injured and dead was the need to contribute to the global
effort against terrorism through intelligence and security
measures.
"Terrorism has no boundaries. It can strike any place at any
time."
Opposition Leader Bill English acknowledged other nations'
losses.
"We thank the Australian people for reaching out to our own
people in a time of need, taking our sick and injured into their
care," he said.
"This generosity, given so instinctively from their people to
ours, is at the heart of the resolve that New Zealand must share
today with Australia to pursue the killers of our citizens who
perpetrated this barbaric event."
The leader of the small Act Party, Richard Prebble, was
plainly emotional as he spoke of the diplomats combing morgues
for missing New Zealanders.
"It must be a terrible thing," he said, his voice breaking.
New Zealand increased the international pressure on Tuesday on
Indonesia to hunt down the terrorists who carried out the deadly
blasts in Bali, and to work to counter such threats.
Welcoming Indonesia's commitment "to do all it can to achieve
that," Prime Minister Helen Clark said her government is
committed "to combating terrorism and to working with other
countries who like us value freedom and democracy."
She told Parliament that Indonesia's intelligence services
need strengthening to play their part in detecting and preventing
terrorist acts.