Western Resistance: Indonesia: Explosions in Bali

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October 1, 2005

Indonesia: Explosions in Bali

The Indonesian island of Bali has been comparatively peaceful since the Jemaah Islamiyah bombing of 2002, in which 202 people, mainly tourists, were killed. However, a report today from Saudi Press Agency suggests that trouble may be returning to the island, whose inhabitants are mainly Hindu. Explosions occurred in two tourist areas of the island today, with at least three foreigners injured. Three explosions occurred on Jimbaran beach, an area lined with seafood restaurants, according to El Shinta radio, stating that witnesses saw three foreigners leaving the area covered in blood. At about the same time, in downtown Kuta, about 30 km away, an explosion happened in a shopping centre. Police spokesman Lt Col. Antonius Reniban confirmed that explosions had taken place, but could not confirm if they were caused by bombs.

In a short briefing by Reuters, local television stations have claimed that there were three blasts. We will keep you updated on this breaking story as details arrive.

According to CNN, at least two people have been killed. This was told by a witness on El Shinta radio. Since 2002, Jemaah Islamiyah's two main attacks have concentrated on Jakarta, Indonesia's capital. Those blasts, one at the J.W. Marriott hotel in 2003 and the other outside the Australian Embassy in 2004, killed at least 23 people.

Sadly, the latest update makes today's events worse than either of the two atrocities mentioned above. It seems police have tried to downplay the scale of deaths. The total now dead is 19, according to Yahoo News, with 51 injured. At least two of the injured victims were Americans, with eight Australians and 28 Indonesians also being treated at Sangla hospital, in Bali's capital Denpasar. Apparently the blasts happened almost three years to the day since the 2002 killings mentioned above. Those too happened in Kuta.

Click on the following link, to view photos provided by Getty Images. One is disturbing, featuring a dead tourist on the table at which he had been eating at a fish restaurant. PHOTOS

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at October 1, 2005 9:03 AM