Australia Warns of Militant Attacks in Indonesia by Year's End
Australia has warned it has information that extremists may be planning attacks in Indonesia within the next two months in a new official travel advisory. The foreign affairs department reissued its Indonesian travel advisory late Friday to insert the line: "Recent new information suggests that terrorists may be planning attacks to occur before the end of 2005". The advisory repeated Canberra's stance taken in the wake of the October 2002 Bali bombings that Australians should defer non-essential travel to Indonesia. "Attacks could occur at any time, anywhere in Indonesia and could be directed at any locations known to be frequented by foreigners," it said. The advisory dropped a warning to avoid Bali's up market Seminyak area that was inserted after the October 1 attack when three suicide bombers blew themselves up at the resort island's Kuta and Jimbaran tourist districts killing 20 people. The advisory warns Australians against gathering in hotels, shopping centers, restaurants, bars and other areas popular with Westerners. "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," it said. "The possibility of another attack against Australians cannot be ruled out," the advisory said. (Nov 5th 2005, AEST)
Sumatran Tiger Gives Birth to Twin Cubs
A Sumatran tiger (Panthera Tigris) has given birth to twin cubs at a zoo in Bandung, West Java, bringing the number of Sumatran tigers kept in the zoo to 14 consisting of eight females and six males. Their mother, called Fitria, was also born in the zoo in 2001 while the father, called Oka, aged 11 was a gift from former West Java regional military commander Major General Iwan Sulanjana. The head of the zoo’s animal collection section, Effy Sofiyanti, said the new born tigers weighing one kilogram each would be called Suci and Prihatin. "This was the ninth birth after the last one in 1996," she said. The said the cubs would be shown to the public when they reached one month old. (8th November 2005, ANTARA News)
Bali Bomber Left Video Message
Indonesian police have found a video message from the three suicide bombers who carried out attacks on tourist spots in Bali in October, killing 20 people.The video contains the confession of the three suicide bombers, explaining why they were prepared to carry out the suicide bombings, National Police Chief General Sutanto told a press conference Friday (11/11). They said their action was for a noble cause and they would go to heaven. The recording was recovered two days ago from a house in the Central Java city of Semarang, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported. The identification of one of the bombers led police to the safe house where they found Jemaah Islamiyah bomb maker Azahari Husin, who died during a police raid Wednesday. (11th November 2005, UPI)
Another Italian National Found Beaten in Canggu
Gabrielle Parolin a 45 year old Italian man was found gagged, tied and beaten in a field in Canggu in the early hours Monday (7/11). The victim was found by Nyoman Sember who as tending her cows in the paddock when she came across the man who was unconscious and bound with chains and raffia string. Mr. Parolin, who had been staying at the Hotel Puri Tanah Lot, was transferred to the intensive care unit of the Sanglah General Hospital in critical condition with blunt trauma injuries to his head and body. According to a hospital spokesman, Mr. Parolin had started to regain consciousness on Saturday (12/11), but was still not well enough to be interviewed by police. Mr. Parolins wife Manuela has arrived from Italy to be with her husband until he is well enough to be flown back to their home country (November 13th 2005, Denpost).
Terrorist Group Planning Christmas Terror Rampage
It is suspected that a house at Flamboyan Indah housing estate Block A Number 7 was rented by the group of Dr. Azahari in preparation for acts of terror this coming Christmas. According to a source that is close to Indonesian intelligence, this group was planning to bomb several churches in Malang and nearby areas on Christmas Eve. The group had equipped itself with sophisticated weapons with silencers. These weapons were used when the shooting incident took place between the group and the police; the shots were apparently not loud. “The sound was smooth as if the weapons were installed with silencers. Meanwhile, the police weapons sound very loud,” said this source. (November 11th 2005, TEMPO)
Bali Nine Legal Action Winds Up
An Australian Federal Court judge today said he hoped to make a swift decision on whether the alleged Bali Nine drug mules should be given access to documents and records about their arrest. The court, sitting in Darwin, has wound up a two-day hearing to decide if four Australians arrested in Bali should be able to access the documents, in order to see if they have grounds to launch a court challenge against the Australian Federal Police (AFP). The AFP wrote to Indonesian authorities several days before the four were arrested, passing on detailed information about the alleged drug activity. Their lawyer, Colin McDonald, QC, has told the Federal Court the AFP's actions may have been "unlawful" because it exposed the four to the risk of the death penalty, to which Australia is opposed. The four - Scott Rush, Renae Lawrence, Martin Stephens and Michael Czugaj - could face the firing squad if found guilty in trials being held in Bali (November 8th 2005, AFP).
Former Indonesian / Australian “Home & Away”
Actor a Terrorist
28 year old Omar Baladjam, was shot in the neck by police after he allegedly opened fire on two officers in a raid on a Sydney property in Green Valley Street. A police bomb robot was sent in to investigate the contents of a backpack that Baladjam was carrying for fear it could contain explosives. Some residents were evacuated while others were told to remain indoors. It was later revealed the bag contained a second pistol. Classmates who remembered him as a teenager were shocked to learn that he was one of the 17 men arrested over an alleged plot to launch a terrorist attack on Australia. Mr. Baladjam was born at Manly Hospital in January 1977 to Indonesian / Australian parents and after graduation, at the age of 20, he landed a role in the ABC TV drama Wildside. This was followed by a brief stint on Home and Away. A former friend yesterday said Mr. Baladjam was a "party animal" in his youth until he met and married his Indonesian wife. Friends of the wounded terrorism suspect have said he became "more radical" since he began to attend an Islamic youth group in Liverpool three years ago. Mr. Baladjam remains in serious condition in Liverpool Hospital, NSW (November 12th 2005, AP).
Indonesia Expected to be Free From Polio by 2006
Indonesia is expected to be free from wild polio virus by 2006, Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari said here on Monday. The minister said that the government planned to carry out the third round of mass immunization by the end of this month. Indonesia was declared free of polio since 1995 but in April this year a wild polio virus believed to come from Nigeria attacked a number of children in several regions such as Jakarta, Lampung, Banten, Central Java, East Java and North Sumatra. To prevent the virus from spreading further to other areas, the government has carried out national immunization programs on Aug 30 and Sept 27. (Nov 15th 2005, Bernama)
Popular Indonesian Jazz Musician Killed in
Amman Bomb
The body of Perry Pattiselano, an Indonesian jazz musician who was killed in a bomb blast in Jordan on Nov. 9, 2005, will arrive at the Soekarno-Hatta airport from Amman on Sunday (Nov. 13). Pattiselano`s friend, Hardjanto (44) who sustained minor injury in the blast, will be in the same flight. Pinky Safira, an Indonesian vocalist who also sustained injuries in the blast, could not return home because she must undergo medical treatment at a state-owned hospital Al Bashir in Amman. "She may have to remain in hospital for two weeks," the spokesman added. At least 57 people were killed and 300 others injured in three suicide bomb blasts at Grand Hyatt, Radisson SAS and Days Inn in the Jordanian capital of Amman on last Wednesday (9/10). (November 13th 2005, ANTARA News).
Australian Businessman Loses 100 Million in Car Break-in
An Australian businessman lost cash and goods to the value of 100 million rupiah when his Toyota Kijang was broken into in broad daylight on Friday (11/11). Mr. D.A. (50) who was staying at the Kumala in Legian, left his car parked on Jln. Waribang, Padanggalak for only 5 minutes, and on returning to his vehicle realized that a file containing photos, cash, credit cards, and several valuable pens was missing. Police are still investigating the case. (November 12th 2005, Denpost).
Diplomats Dine at Jimbaran Bomb Site / Rajas Cafe
23 diplomats from 23 different countries were the guests of A.A. Gede Agung and the Police Chief Made Mangku Pastika for dinner at Café Nyoman on Jimbaran bay on Saturday (12/10). The group toured Bali for 2 days visiting places of interest as well as the sites of the October 1st Bombings. According to one spokesman, Mr. Ali Kesuma, it was hoped that by hosting the group, that they would see that Bali was still a worthwhile tourist destination and that all was being done to ensure the safety of travelers on the Island (November 13th 2005, Bali Post).
Aussie Blast Survivor Returns to Bali
An Australian survivor of last month's triple suicide bombings has returned to Bali to confront the ghosts of that tragedy and deliver a message of defiance against terrorism. Kim Griffiths, 52, was peppered with shrapnel when one of three suicide bombers walked into a Jimbaran Bay seafood restaurant where Griffiths and wife Vicki were having dinner with 16 other Australians on October 1. Six weeks later, his face and body still bear the physical scars. His piercing blue eyes glisten as he recalls the horror of that night, but Griffiths had no hesitation in returning to the resort island. "People asked me why I felt the need to go back," said the Newcastle surfer, who owns a successful building company and is believed to be the first victim of the bombing to return to Bali. "It's because I don't want to be scared to travel. I want to get back on the horse. I've been coming to Bali for 28 years and I wanted to thank all the people who helped us at the beach, the hospitals, and to somehow help the Balinese who must have such a strong faith to deal with the things they have to go through every year." Griffiths urged Australians not to punish the Balinese by boycotting the island. "We were very unlucky to be in the wrong place at the wrong time,' he said. "People are very naive if they think they're safe anywhere in the world. For me, this trip is a big part of the healing process." (November 15th 2005, AAP)
