Bali Bombing Remembered !

 Later this week, 82 year old Abu Bakar Bashir will walk free from an Indonesian prison after serving ten years behind bars.  He was originally sentenced to fifteen years because of his involvement in setting up an illegal terrorist training camp in the Indonesian province of Aceh, but remissions have shortened that sentence.

Bashir is the spiritual leader of the al Qaeda linked Jemaah Islamiah  network of Muslim extremists responsible for the bombing of a nightclub in Bali that killed over two hundred people, including eighty eight Australians.   There was insufficient evidence to charge him with that crime or the Jakarta bombing of the J.W. Marriott hotel a year later that killed twelve people, despite his support for the al Qaeda war on the non Muslim world.

Bashir will be closely monitored on his release but he has lost none of his ardour for the killing of all non Muslims.  Osama bin laden was tracked down and killed and his movement evolved into Islamic State and at one stage President Joko Widodo considered releasing Bashir on health grounds when seeking election, but scrapped that plan when Bashir refused to pledge allegiance to Indonesian state ideology.

Jemaah Islamiah is an ongoing problem for Indonesia.  It is accused of plotting several big attacks in Indonesia and includes operatives trained in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Philippines.  With Bashir  regaining his  freedom, there is the prospect of this  terrorist cell becoming responsible for a fresh round of atrocities.

That Bali bombing is still fresh in many Australian minds.  Apart from the eighty-eight Australians killed, many more suffered horrific injuries when a car load of explosives was detonated in close proximity to the nightclub and an adjacent bar.   Bali was an important holiday destination for people of this country and this terrorist attack killed many Indonesians who worked in the holiday industry.  Indonesia is predominantly a Muslim country, but those who live in Bali heavily follow the Hindu religion

This coronavirus has closed down the holiday trade, but it is likely that when vaccinations become widespread the airline industry and resorts such as Bali will again be welcoming guests from  Australia. The big question is whether or not the Indonesian security authorities have the ability to keep  Jemaah Islamiah under control and prevent further terrorist attacks,.

Bali is a place of great beauty, located a short airplane journey from the Australian mainland, but security is important and there are plenty of other nice beach fronts in the Pacific region that would welcome the benefits that come from being a tourist destination.

Bashir's freedom will revive memories of that bombing back in 2002 and whether to visit or seek someplace new will be a big decision in many Australian minds.  Opportunity knocks for the money market to develop a safer alternative to Bali.