SE Asia: Never the same again after Oct. 12

Belinda Olivares-Cunanan, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Asia News Network, Manila

From all indications, the bombings in the exotic island resort of Bali were well planned and a lot of investment went into intelligence-gathering for this act of terrorism. The bombings were timed on a Saturday evening when the hangout places in Kuta Beach were all full of young revelers out for cheap beer and loads of fun. Because it hit mostly foreigners (last weekend some 10,000 to 20,000 Australians were believed to be on holiday in the island), the impact was greater.

What made the terrorist attacks hurt Indonesia so much was that following the fall of Soeharto in 1999, the violent separatist movement in Aceh and racial and religious riots in Sulawesi and Maluku, Bali had remained untouched by trouble; many tourists would head for that paradise island straight from abroad, in the thought that it was safe.

The powerful car bomb that hit the crowded nightclub was the first such device used in Asia since the Vietnam War, whereas it remains quite common in the Basque area of Spain where it spills out into Madrid, and other parts of Europe.

Moreover, the terrorists knew how to hurt the Indonesian economy. Its tourism industry, which brought in about five million tourists in 2001, comes only second in foreign earnings to oil and gas, and Bali is its crown jewel.

Now Southeast Asia has its Oct. 12 in Bali, and like New York after Sept. 11, the region will never be the same again. For as Singapore professor Shyam Tekwani, who studies the communication strategies of terrorist groups, put it, "The explosions are a confirmation that the center of gravity for terrorist attacks has shifted from the Middle East to South Asia and now Southeast Asia." The problem with SE Asia, however, is that anti-terrorism regulations are not in place here, rules are not being enforced and security is often lax.

Oct. 12 came as a rude awakening for our big neighbor. We hope that it too serves as a lesson that our government and people, can only ignore the recent events, especially the bombing of our consulate in Manado, North Sulawesi, at our peril.

The world has become truly one global village, so that the bombings in Bali have again put the rest of the planet on red alert. At St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, there has never been any security check before. But lately the security has arranged movement in the vast square so that it has full control of the entrance and exits; all bags are searched and everyone, even nuns and priests, are swept with metal detectors. It left me bothered that the seat of Christendom is much too open to attacks.