Bali+Bombing

** __INTRODUCTON __ **     The bomb explosions in Bali on the night of 12 October 2002 were a shocking and unexpected event for most Australians, particularly since the US campaign in response to the attacks of September 11 2001. The attack involved the detonation of three bombs: a backpack-mounted device carried by a suicide bomber; a large car bomb, both of which were detonated in or near popular nightclubs in Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali; and a third much smaller device detonated outside the United States consulate in Denpasar, causing only minor damage. The final death toll was 202, mainly comprising Western tourists and holiday-makers in their 20s and 30s who were in or near Paddy's Pub or the Sari Club, but also including 38 Balinese Indonesians working or living nearby, or simply passing by. Hundreds more people suffered horrific burns and other injuries. The largest group among those killed was holidayers from Australia with 88 fatalities. The organization suspected of responsibility for the bombing was Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), an Islamist group allegedly led by radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir. The three individuals who were in direct involvement of the bombings were sentenced to death. The Indonesian authorities believe many more suspects remain at large. A week after the blast, a recorded voice message from Osama Bin Laden said that the Bali bombings were in direct retaliation for support of the United States' war on terror and Australia's role in the liberation of East Timor. // "You will be killed just as you kill, and will be bombed just as you bomb," "Expect more that will further distress you." // The bombings intensified US pressure on Indonesia to crack down on militant Islamic groups in the country, particular those that are alleged to have links with a series of planned or executed bomb attacks throughout the Southeast Asian region in recent months. There has, for some time, been friction in US Indonesia relations over what the US saw as Indonesia's failure to effectively support the US 'war on terror'.  __ Economic impact  __ Indonesia's currency and stock market have tumbled sharply, as foreign investors worried about the economic effects of Saturday's gigantic bomb blast on the island of Bali. Their confidence has been dented by the country’s failure to tackle structural problems. The falls had a knock-on effect on markets around Asia, especially in the Philippines, another country seen as potentially vulnerable to terrorist attacks. And in the longer term, the weekend bomb has raised questions over Indonesia's fragile economy, which is highly dependent on tourist income from Bali.  Bali's attraction as a tourist destination is largely based on its reputation as safe and peaceful. However, with this incident, its visitors had largely declined and thus, a drop in its major source of income. The country’s tourist industry has, in effect, been destroyed. It could take years to recover. The potential economic damage inflicted by the bomb attack goes beyond Indonesia itself, and could spread right across the region at a time when many countries are still struggling to consolidate their recovery from the Asian crisis. The longer-term effects will take time to assess, and will depend on whether the Bali bomb turns out to be an isolated incident or the first of many such attacks. __ Credits  __ []  [] [] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">[]

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">-WanYu (27) 4A <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">-Xinyun (2) 4A <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">;)