World leaders condemn bombings

President Arroyo and other world leaders condemned yesterday the Bali bombings and ordered the stepping up of security at all tourist sites in the Philippines, which is also grappling with its own insurgency problems.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) went on heightened alert following the Bali bombings, while the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is investigating possible terror attacks in the country that may follow the Bali incident.

At least 26 people were killed and 101 wounded when the bombs exploded Saturday evening at three packed tourist restaurants on the Indonesian resort island, creating all-too-familiar scenes of bloody chaos just days before the third anniversary of the nightclub attacks there.

Mrs. Arroyo offered her condolences to the families of those killed and injured in Saturday’s bomb attacks and said she will work closely with the Indonesian government to stamp out terrorism.

"The new Bali attacks after the London attacks show the resiliency of terrorists to strike targets when our guard is down," she said in a statement.

"Our vigilance at the operational level and community level is high and sustained. Our global links are tight and working. We have limited the movements of terrorist cells and kept them on the run."

Mrs. Arroyo added: "But the price of freedom is perpetual vigilance. We must keep alert and help the authorities in their constant watch over all public places."

She also called on Congress to immediately approve the proposed anti-terrorism bill.

Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said extra troops and police have been sent to reinforce security at tourist sites across the country.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said "terrorists have adopted their own vicious cycle of sowing destruction after a period of relative peace and only through heightened vigilance and cooperation can our communities and uniformed personnel blunt any evil design they have on Philippine territory."

Ambassador Benjamin Defensor, chairman of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Counter-Terrorism Task Force, said the latest bombing was meant to show that extremist groups are bigger then what moderate Muslims believe.

"Moderate Muslims all over the world condemn such killings and say that Islam has nothing to do with terrorism. So these groups, like the Jemaah Islamiyah, are trying to project that they have support and are much larger than they really are," he told The STAR.

PNP chief Director General Arturo Lomibao said the police force’s heightened alert "is a mere precautionary measure for us policemen to be extra alert and prevent any untoward incident."

He said that security has been intensified at many tourist destinations, particularly on Boracay island in Aklan, to assure local and foreign tourists of their safety.

When asked about reports that the bandit group Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiyah planned to conduct bombing missions before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan starts tomorrow, Lomibao said the timing may be incidental.

"Since September onward, our hands have been full checking terror threats. Some teams are already out investigating the information," he said.

Metro Manila and Makati City went on heightened alert Saturday night in reaction to the Bali bombings.

Makati police officer-in-charge Chief Superintendent Efren Ysulat said they have been intensifying their intelligence monitoring and enhancing target hardening procedures.

Armed Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Buenaventura Pascual said the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines has been investigating possible attacks following the arrest of four alleged terrorists in Cotabato City last week. An improvised explosive device was seized from them.

The Jemaah Islamiyah is the al-Qaeda-linked Southeast Asian organization that carried out the Oct. 12, 2002 Bali blasts that killed 202 people.

"The fact that the terrorists struck in Bali again is to deliver a strong message: They are telling us that ‘you cannot stop us, we can strike anywhere and anytime,’" said the Malaysian security official, who is closely involved in regional terror investigations.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation.

Indonesian officials have named Malaysian fugitives Azahari bin Husin and Noordin Mohamed Top as the likely masterminds of Saturday’s blasts.

The two men fled Malaysia to escape a crackdown by authorities in several Southeast Asian countries in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.

Scores of Jemaah Islamiyah suspects were detained, leading some officials to say the group’s leadership has been crippled. But analysts have warned that a new generation of militants have joined the group and have been preparing for attacks.

Azahari has wide expertise in bomb-making, include remote-controlled explosives, which he learned in Mindanao and Afghanistan in 1999 and 2000, the security official said.

He "would have little problem in improvising their skills to come up with explosive vests," the official said.

Noordin is said to be Azahari’s understudy and a recruiter of foot soldiers.

Authorities in Malaysia have been keeping a close eye on the relatives and friends of the two suspects, but "their trail went cold" several months ago, the official said.

Azahari, a British-trained engineer, and Noordin are accused of orchestrating the 2002 Bali bombing and two other bombings in the Indonesian capital in 2003 and 2004.

Although both the Bali incidents were suicide attacks, a crucial difference is that last time, the bombs were carried in a car and a backpack. This time, the three suicide bombers were wearing vests packed with explosives, metal shrapnel and ball bearings, the official said.

The two men were not believed to be among the three suicide attackers, though the assailants have not yet been identified. All that were left at the scenes were the head and feet.

Saturday’s near-simultaneous blasts struck two seafood cafes in the Jimbaran beach resort and a three-story noodle and steakhouse in downtown Kuta. Kuta is the bustling tourist center of Bali where two nightclubs were bombed three years ago, also on a busy Saturday night.

A senior Philippine military official said the local intelligence community is looking into the possibility that the Bali bombers may have trained in the Philippines or sourced their explosives here.

"The Philippines is also considered one of the sources of raw explosive materials, like fertilizer, in the region," the official said.

Condemnation, Support

Officials said tourists from Britain, the United States, Australia, Japan and South Korea were among the dead and the scores of injured.

Messages of condemnation and support flooded in from across the world, including Britain, the US, France, Japan and Australia, which insisted it was not the target of attacks, unlike in the 2002 blasts.

"I think we should see this as primarily an attempt to wreak havoc and cause fear and create instability inside Indonesia," said Australian Prime Minister John Howard.

He said his government will provide medical evacuation to Australia or Singapore for those injured in the blasts, "irrespective of their nationality."

Australia offered medical and police aid, Britain sent an emergency assistance team, and the US and New Zealand pledged to help in any way possible to catch the terrorists suspected in the three near-simultaneous blasts.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he was dismayed that the island — a popular destination for Western holidaymakers — had once again become a target of indiscriminate violence.

"The Secretary-General strongly condemns (the) bombings on the Indonesian island of Bali," a statement issued by his spokesman said.

"He sends his deepest sympathy to the injured and the bereaved of many nationalities as well as to the Indonesian government.

"He urges the Indonesian authorities to act promptly in identifying and bringing the perpetrators of this cowardly attack to justice."

The Singaporean government said the attacks underlined the need for stronger regional cooperation against terrorism in Asia.

"This latest attack is a reminder that although weakened, terrorist groups remain a threat to our societies," Foreign Minister George Yeo said.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair denounced the "appalling attacks" and said his country stands by Indonesia "at this very difficult time."

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Washington was with Indonesia "in our common fight against terror."

Japan also pledged to continue "its utmost efforts to tackle terrorism in cooperation with the international community, and to cooperate with and support the government of Indonesia in such efforts," the foreign ministry said.

French President Jacques Chirac, Germany’s Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, Irish Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern and New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark condemned the attacks "in the strongest possible terms." — With Michael Punongbayan, Cecille Suerte Felipe, AFP, AP