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.