"But
nowhere is safe any more!"
True, to an extent. But what makes Bali particularly
unsafe still is;
a) The lack of real security (due to lazy and corrupt
police officers),
b) The fact that Jemaah Islamiah (JI) is growing in
size and expertise courtesy of its involvement in the
Philippines,
c) The fact Bali is very accessible to the terrorists
who mainly come from Eastern and Central Java,
d) The fact that it seems some elements within the military
and police actually support JI,
e) The fact the law courts have decided the laws used
to convict the bombers are illegal and at the same time
have not applied the previous murder laws to convict
them. Which clearly condones and supports their murderous
actions in October 2002 in Bali, and encourages the
Al Qaeda backed terrorists to commit yet further atrocities.
"Bali
is probably safer then Australia / England / New York"
No, Bali really is not safe at all. It is a
recorded fact that the Indonesian police are ineffective,
that explosives are known to be in the hands of the
terrorists still, and that Bali nearly suffered a second
bombing had it not been for the efforts and diligence
of the Australian special police force that went to
Bali, but sadly are no longer there to protect us. The
real problems are that the Indonesian authorities are
still perceived and may actually, to some degree at
certain levels and by certain people, support the terrorists.
And that police officers are so lazy and corrupt, they
would not be able to stop another bombing. It is a fact,
Balinese police officers on anti-terrorist duty at Bali's
ferry ports have been known to take 20,000 rp (around
US$2.35) to waive a coach through without inspection.
So
please, trust the facts not the yarn, Bali is not as
safe as other countries. We make no apology for suggesting
you remind yourself of what October 2002 looked like
/ meant (images are not suitable for the easily distressed
or children), click the link Bali
Bombing to remind yourselves. With this in mind,
here are just some of the areas / probable main terrorist
targets and why, so you are aware of and can maybe even
avoid them.
Bali
International Airport / Airplanes
At the Eastern end of the runway is marshland
frequented often and easily by fly-tippers (people dumping
waste illegally). If fly tippers can get beneath a large
passenger jet which has just taken off fully laden with
fuel, so can a terrorist with a shoulder fired Stinger
surface to air missile. It would be an easy matter for
an accomplice to radio the one firing the missile to
tell them what the next aircraft was. American made
Stinger anti-aircraft missiles are known to have left
Afghanistan before the fall of the Taliban. They were
used in Kenya against a jet liner, but missed. In Kenya,
the terrorists had to fire from further away then they
would in Bali. In Bali, they can get right under the
flight path of the aircraft. The police know about this,
but have not sealed the area off.
Large Western Branded Hotels
It is clear the terrorist JI group like to
target anything that identifies with western youth,
western culture and western business. After the Bali
Bombing came the bombing of the Jakarta Marriott Hotel,
despite the hotel and police being advised of a heightened
security risk / impending attack. Even the high security
Australian Embassy in Jakarta has been bombed in September
2004. It is therefore frivolous to believe that the
security at Bali's hotels is any better / more competent.
Also, although no specific security information has
been made public to presume there is a risk from hijacked
aircraft (like 9/11), the risk can not be ignored especially
as;
a) There is little or no security on internal flights
from other Indonesian airports,
b) Most of the branded hotels are near or under the
flight paths for aircraft.
You should note, even the United States Embassy in
Jakarta has warned its own country's Government workers
not to avoid identifiably Western hotels, as late as
September 3rd, 2004.
Because of their owners and / or brand name and / or
location and / or size and / or reputation, we believe
the most obvious significant risk is to the following
hotels: Hard
Rock Kuta, Grand
Bali Beach, Westin
Nusa Dua, Grand Hyatt Bali, Sheraton
Laguna Nusa Dua, Bali
Intercontinental Resort, Bali Hai Resort & Spa,
Grand Mirage Resort, Aston Bali and the Bali Hyatt.
Some of these hotels (where there are links to dedicated
pages on them) have other problems / issues you should
/ may want to be aware of. You may also wish to visit
our Bali health
advisory page, as this warns of things such as illegal
effluence dumping in Nusa Dua and open sewers next to
the Bali Hai Resort & Spa in Tuban-Kuta.
Certain Tourist Areas
It is very simple, if you go to an area / building
frequented by a large number of western, especially
young tourists, especially where there is easy road
access and / or little chance of effective security,
you are at greater risk. The risk becomes even greater
is the area or venue / building symbolizes modern western
culture, more so if drugs and / or prostitution and
/ or gay tolerance are present (as they would help islamic
terrorists vindicate their actions).
If you are somewhere which is intersected by a busy
road, be aware that a feigned breakdown just up the
road would prove the perfect visible reason for a terrorist
to leave their vehicle, walk up the road (as if to see
what was happening / help), get into the feigned broken
down vehicle, to speed away (as the road in front would
then be clear) and detonate a large device in the vehicle
they left behind using their mobile phone.
Popular (with tourists) restaurants with adjacent car
parks are also a risk. Night clubs and bars probably
the greatest risk due to the presence of alcohol (or
worse) and a large number of younger western tourists.
If like to enjoy yourself at night, we urge you to select
your venue carefully or leave the entertainment / clubbing
until you get home.
If you think we are over-reacting, read our page on
the corrupt Bali
Police and then remind yourself of October 2002
on our Bali Bombing page
(not for children or people of nervous disposition).
Remember, foreign governments play a hazardous game
between maintaining diplomatic relations (for the benefit
of trade) and warnings to their citizens. If they told
you the full truth, you would probably never go to Bali.
Please do not become a victim or part
of the problem. Read:
Bali
Tourism (Should I go, where, and how do I avoid
adding to the problem / putting myself / my family at
risk in Bali?).
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