SE Asia: Never the same again after Oct. 12

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.