Bali carnage

Yet again, violent thuggery has proved itself to be a blunt instrument. We should not forget that Indonesia is a democracy (albeit a fledgling one) and those who turn to violence for their cause are those that cannot win in the battle for hearts and minds. For Indonesia's sake, JI should finally be criminalised by the archapelago, and authorities ought to ruthlessly crack down on those involved. Spare us the 'root causes of terrorism' argument, please.

The Australian media have been squeamish about naming the victims, but not so the Indonesian media. I don't speak Indonesian, but I have a fair idea of the fate of those who appear on this list in the Bali Post.

Comments

Anonymous said…
The problem with this form of terrorism is that it is almost impossible to prevent. Whilst it is one of the most unsophisticated forms of destruction, it could slip under the radar of the most sophisticated intelligence.

News broadcasts showed an amateur video of the bombing with a young man walking into the restaurant then the explosion when he reached the back of the restaurant.

Whilst it is horrific and incredibly unjust, this type of terrorism could happen in almost any city of the world.

Crack down on these criminals. Criminalize JI. But hang on, isn't that what the UK, who have tougher laws than Australia had done prior to the London bombings.

As shown by these bombings and the similar scale bombings in London, 'cracking down' doesn't have the desired affect. These are complex problems, and the simple solutions simply do not work. Unfortunately.
4 October 2005 at 10:36
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