Bangkok--Oct 5--eTurboNews
New Delhi, India and London, United Kingdom (eTurboNews) -- While there has been universal condemnation on the recent terror attacks on the Indonesian island of Bali, countries have reacted differently on whether or not to issue a travel advisory against the beleaguered island.
The British government has refrained from issuing a blanket ban on travel to Indonesia in the aftermath of the latest Bali bombing. Instead it advises people to review their arrangements and take local advice.
The Foreign and Commonwealth office faced prolonged criticism over previous travel bans and has changed its approach to travel advisories. The Bali bombings last weekend are the first major test of its aim of making travel advisories more specific and proportionate to the risk.
The worldwide publicity about the attacks will no doubt deter many people from travelling to Indonesia for the time being. But British people have learned from their experience of terrorist attacks in London that life must go on, and so it must in Bali, despite warnings that more terrorist attacks are likely.
Others feel assured by the high state of alert among police and security forces in Indonesia and have decided not to cut short their visits, even though extra flights have been provided to get foreigners out of Bali if they wish to go.
"If you are in Indonesia, you should exercise extreme caution at all times because there remains a high threat from terrorism," says the latest version of the UK government travel advice. "People still intending in the immediate future to travel to Bali should review thoroughly information on the local situation, and ensure they are taking full precautions and following local advice."
The advice states that there remains a high threat from terrorism in Indonesia.
"We continue to receive reports that terrorists in Indonesia are planning further attacks on Westerners and Western interests. Attacks could occur at any time, anywhere in Indonesia and are likely to be directed against locations and buildings frequented by foreigners.
"The Indonesian Police are on a state of high alert in Jakarta, and have deployed additional personnel around the city, including additional security arrangements for embassies.
"Terrorists have shown in previous attacks, like the attack on the Australian Embassy, the Marriott Hotel, Jakarta and the Bali bombings, that they have the means and the motivation to carry out successful attacks," the UK government said.
The Australian government advises against non-essential travel to Indonesia at this time, and says that any Australians concerned about their safety in Indonesia should consider leaving. Extra flights have been laid on by Qantas to get people out.
"Australians who consider their presence in Indonesia to be essential should exercise extreme caution. The recommendation that Australians defer non-essential travel applies to Indonesia as a whole, including Bali." The Australian government advice is for foreigners to take extreme caution and to stay in their hotels wherever possible for the time being.
"We continue to receive a stream of credible reporting suggesting that terrorists are in the advanced stages of planning attacks against Western interests in Indonesia. Attacks could occur at any time, anywhere in Indonesia and could be directed at any locations known to be frequented by foreigners.
"The bomb attack outside the Australian Embassy on September 9, 2004 underscores that the threat to Australians in Indonesia is real. On August 29, Indonesian President Yudhoyono called for heightened security in Indonesia during September and October due to the risk of terrorist attack."
This follows the statements as far back as May 2005 by the Indonesian National Police warning of possible further suicide bombings in Jakarta, identifying as potential targets places frequented by foreigners. Possible terrorist targets include international hotels, clubs, restaurants (including international fast food outlets), bars, embassies, international schools, expatriate housing compounds, office buildings, churches and other places of worship, shopping centers, outdoor recreation events, tourist areas, airlines and transport hubs or identifiably western businesses and interests.
South Korea has issued new travel advisories warning against visiting Bali, while China and New Zealand also advised against non-essential travel to Bali, in the wake of the weekend blasts carried out by suspected suicide bombers, as per the information available.
Forbes reported: "South Korea, which has confirmed that six of its nationals were injured in the blasts, also issued a new travel advisory...The foreign ministry categorized travel to Bali, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Southeast Asia for South Koreans, as requiring 'special precaution' -- an upgrade from its previous 'precaution' status." It added, "New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it is maintaining its warning that non-essential travel and tourist travel to Indonesia, including Bali, should be deferred. It said its nationals should avoid places where westerners are known to gather such as hotels, clubs, bars, shopping malls, tourist resorts and places of worship in Jakarta and elsewhere."
On its part, China's tourism authority too cautioned people about travel to Bali but so far there has been no cancellations by tour groups, said Forbes report.
Meanwhile, Indonesian Tourism Minister Jero Wacik predicted a sharp drop in visitors, but said he hopes Bali will bounce back.
The owner of several travel agencies and resorts, Agung Prana, predicted that the latest bombings would badly affect tourism and related activities. "I feel very pessimistic about the future of Bali after this incident," Agung was quoted as saying by the Jakarta Post
The attacks, focused on popular tourist areas, came almost three years after the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians and several other foreigners.
According to AP and Bloomberg, Saturday's bombing on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, which killed at least 25 people, and the growing threat of a bird flu epidemic may crimp growth further. "In Bali, tourism is going to take another deep hit," said Bruce Gale, a political risk analyst at Hill & Associates Ltd. in Singapore. "The Indonesia economy will not be hit to the same extent as it was after the first Bali bombing. The first one was completely unexpected, and this one, although a bit of a surprise, was not totally unexpected."
The central business and embassy districts of Jakarta, other metropolitan and tourist centers in Java and Sumatra and premises and symbols associated with the Indonesian government are also possible targets.
The Islamist extremists suspected of the Bali suicide bombings, the network known as Jemaah Islamiyah, has a stated aim of establishing an Islamic state covering a large part of the Southeast Asia region, and its terror tactics are not confined to attacks on Western interests or foreigners. It has active cells also in the Philippines and seeks to undermine the authority of moderate Islamic governments, but Bali may be a particular "soft" target because the island's population is a mostly Hindu society within the world's largest Muslim nation.
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