Bali Explosions
 

Saturday evening: explosions are just reported in downtown Kuta and Jimbaran beach. Three westerners are reported injured.

Monitor news sites for more information

Multiple deaths are now being reported. This is very sad for Bali.

the last i heard one hour ago was 8 dead...poor bali it was just recovering...

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT NO ONE CANCEL THEIR BALI TRIPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

it's at 19 dead now.

I feel so bad for the people of Bali and all the tourist there at the moment.

I've plan and paid for a 3 night excursion to Bali on October 20th! I'm willing to go but I wonder how my wife and daughter will feel when they hear of the news tomorrow?

very sad...

You can't just tell people that it is very important that they not cancel their trips. People have to assess the situtation themselves w/all the info available and decide what the threat is and make their own decisions as to what they are comfortable with. Those decisions can certainly affect the people of Bali positively or negatively, but you can't make a decision about your own safety based soley on the affects on the citizens of the country. It is your own life and the lives of your family members who you make the decision for in the first instance. I think that to tell people just in a blanket way to ignore the risk and not even weigh the information and risk and just don't cancel their trip under any circumstacnes is very one dimentional and somewhat irrational. I know there is concern about the people of Bali, I understand that, but your life is important enough to weigh the information, isn't it?

Generally the safest time to be somewhere is immediately after a problem. But what I often wonder is why people flocked to NY (at our urging) after 9/11 and yet shun other countries when terrorists strike there.

where is spygril,

Cancelling my trip to Amanusa. Going to One & Only Reethi Rah Maldives instead.

emd-- and yet the US government and the media told the world to come to NY. Why was that ok?

I agree that everyone needs to make their own decision and weigh the risk. What I can't stand is the double standard. No one tells people not to come to the U.S. or London for that matter but when it happens in a 3rd world country everyone says to stay away. Risk is risk and terrorism is terrorism whether it is in the US, Europe or Asia.

Whenever those thought appear I simply remind myself of the 45,000+ traffic deaths in the US each year. It's probably still safer in Bali (plus we never do clubbing...).

Very sad for those involved and also devastating for the people of Bali. When we were there in August our guide told us that June and July had been bad for tourists but August had picked up.
We had always planned to go to Bali but I didn't feel I wanted to risk it after the bombings 3 years ago. I waited till this August before we ventured there. It was truely Paradise. We did not go into Kuta and I did feel as if I would be safer in Sanur.I would love to return in the future but there is no way I would actively encourage anyone else to go there. Just imagine how you would feel if something else did happen.

NoFlyZone: This time it was in a restaurant not a club.
Personally I would not set foot in Indonesia, they hate Westerners so why is it so hard for people to understand that? It is easy to say " I feel so sad for the Bali people". They are Indonesians, they harbour fanatics, they let out their bombers with a smack on their hands and a very, very short sentence for multiple murder.
Bali was only a cheap destination - why not go somewhere where it is clean, safe and affordable and leave that country to their own devices?

lizF, your words are a little harsh, i might say..However, I went to Bali in 1996 when everything was calm..We attempted to go 3 years ago, and ended up cancelling because right before we were leaving the bomb attacks happened, so we chose not to go..I am so glad we went when we did, because in all honesty, i don't think i would want to go right now..
Also, you have to check with your insurance to make sure you are covered if your country is recommending that you do not travel to Indonesia..
I feel very sad for the people of Bali/Indonesia but respect people's decisions if they feel that they should not visit..

We had just made our plans in September 2002 and then the October nightclub attack occurred. We felt that by staying away from Kuta (where one of the bombs went off today) and avoiding western type establishments , especially in tourist areas (which were also hit today) we would be fine. I think that if you intend to visit Bali, that approach makes sense. 996tt - Cancelling the Amanusa is just pointless - it is closing the barn door after the cows have left as we say in Connecticut.

I wonder when the Indonesian Govt. will do what is necessary to contain the religious zealots of Jemaah Islamiah?

I'm with lizF. Australians are being targeted in Bali. There is no doubt about it.

To all those planning a visit to Bali, please check that your travel insurance will cover you for ANY accident or incident. We were told our cover is void for any country where a terrorist warning is in place.

We've travelled all over Asia, to countries where it msy not be considered safe to go, because we never felt we were a target! Caucasian Christians are targets and I've said before here, that it was just a matter of time before the nutcases struck again. My prayers & thoughts are with those who lost loved ones or had loved ones injured.

About one hour before this bombing, I was trying to make airline reservations to go to Bali for the Thanksgiving weekend. I had to be waitlisted, because it's a popular destination for Singapore expats that week.
For the worst possible reason, I'm sure my flights will clear now. I'm still going.
But everyone does have to make their own assessment of the situation against their own comfort level.

The vast majority of Indonesians do not hate Westerners.

Unfortunately, there's a significantly minority that's against the modern non-Muslim world, and will use terror to achieve their goal of either seperation from Jakata or overthrow the Jakata government.

And the Indonesian government is a weak one, after years of Suhato. It doesn't have the will or means to get rid of, or at least keep in bay, those terrorists from the major cities and Bali. That's what makes Indonesia more dangerous than other countries when it comes to terrorist attack, in my opinion. Western tourists are simply sitting duck there.

It's similar to the situation in Egypt.

LizF, you think Indonesians hate Westerners? That has not been my experience in my visits to a number of areas of Indonesia. Are there terrorists in Indonesia? Yes, and there are likely terrorists in every counrty. To condemn a whole people for the actions of a few is naive and narrow-minded at best.

The Govt. of Indonesia is a democratically elected one. It reflects the attitudes of its citizens. Until the Indonesian Govt. gets serious about quashing terrorists & destroying terrorist networks instead of tolerating, fostering and harbouring them, then Indonesia should not expect to be respected and supported by the global community. Australia gives billions of dollars to Indonesia in aid and we are being targeted by people whose fanatical views are allowed to flourish in Indonesian society. I'm appalled that Australians, in particular, keep visiting a country where human beings, are judged as being "infidels" and therefore bomb fodder! Give Bali and Indonesia a miss! Only then maybe will its citizens do something about their country's tolerance of terrorism masquerading as religion.

Lyndie - At best one can only call Indonesia a "young democracy". The election process is highly problematic, and since Suhato, all the elected presidents have limited power.

You can't really say that because the government isn't doing anything, it means the population doesn't care about Western tourists. That's absolutely false.

Now, if you want to say the majority of Spainards are cowards, then I can agree with you more, as THAT is a more established democracy.

I'm well aware of Indonesia's political history. It's a subject taught in our schools & universities, here in Australia. Many Australians are well educated on Indonesian history and current politics and culture.

Spanish culture and history do not interest me. I've been there and would not bother going again.

What interests me is why one of our closest neighbours continues to ignore it's responsibilities. Indonesia has the ability and resources to weed out these ratbags and up until now has chosen to tolerate JI.

BTW latest death toll is 30.

Bali's main religion is Hindhuism.

Hi fiona. Yes, Bali is in the minority. What are you saying, exactly?

Going to NY after 911 or going to London is safer because these countries are richer and can afford to keep them a little safer. It's also easier to keep terrorists out of a place than to keep a place safe where the terrorists live. If a place sympathises with the terrorists, it makes it even harder to keep that area safe for Westerners(even if the sympathy comes from a minority).Going into a place where some of it's inhabitants may target me for execution is not my idea of a vacation even if the majority of the inhabitants don't feel that way and are warm and wonderful.

redtop-- you have a lot more faith in the U.S. government's ability to keep people safe than I do. Again it's all a matter of perception. Lots of people were killed and injured by the IRA and yet our government never told people not to go to London.

My best friend called me last Friday,Sept 30th, to see if I wanted to do lunch. I was wondering how she could do lunch when she and her teenage daughter were supposed to be leaving for Bali the next day. She then told me that her travel agent had called some days prior and said that all of the flights were booked solid, from L.A., except one with a 7hr. stopover someplace. She didn't want a 7 hr. stopover so she cancelled the trip. Good she did. They could have been there and I know that she eats at some of the seafood places on Jimbarran Bay which is the first thing that I thought about when I heard the news report. This is the third time they've had to cancel. A few years ago, they had tickets to go and were all packed and 911 hit a few days before they were to leave and planes weren't flying. So, they decided to meet me in Bangkok and go on to Singapore and take a vacation with me there instead.That's my first vacation choice. They liked it, but were still longing for Bali. Then they waited until things calmed down and rescheduled and planned again and then it was the last bombing that happened. And now this. I think that's a BIG sign for them to vacation elsewhere...although I'm aware that things can happen anywhere...but as far as I'm concerned... I'd vacation elsewhere.I did Bali once and it was very nice, but personally I've moved on. The world is big. Happy Travels!

rkkwan, I assume your reference to Spaniards as "cowards" was because they voted out their government after the Madrid bombings? This ignores the fact that the great majority of Spaniards were opposed to the invasion of Iraq well before the bombings, and their government was set to be voted out anyway.

Lyndie -- even in a full-fledged democracy you can't blame all of the people for their government's policies. I certainly do not want to be judged by our government's current policies since I disagree with almost all of them. I'm sure there are many Indonesians who are as strongly against terrorism as you do.

My fiance' and I are scheduled to honeymoon in Bali from November 7 - 16. We did not hesitate in the least to continue on with our plans. I work in downtown Chicago about 1/2 mile from the Sears Tower - the largest building in the US - and a threat for the sheer magnitude of carnage that could be caused if a terrorist attack were to occur. We cannot live in fear. We have been planning and looking forward to this honeymoon for months and are so excited to visit Bali. If it is our time to go, at least we will be together. To each his own, but we are determined not to let the terrorists win.
I was worried that the shops and hotels and the island itself would be devoid of tourists, but hearing that so many people have decided to go ahead with their plans make me feel good. We will do all that we can to support the Balinese people with our tourist dollars.

I really liked your post Guenmai, and agree with what you said..Similar thing happened to us..

Neil_OZ - Even though the majority of Spainads, like most Europeans - are against the invasion of Iraq, Jose Maria Aznar was expected to win re-election by almost all polls before the Madrid bombing.

But you are free to draw different conclusions from mine.

I think everyone has to get used to the new reality that you are not safe anywhere be it New York City or Bali. And everybody has to deal with this in their own way. There is no right or wrong.

Statistically speaking you have a much greater chance of dying in a car crash on the way to the airport from your home or getting hit by lightening for that matter than you do from a terrorist incident. I know that doesn't make you feel any better but these are the cold, hard facts.

Anyway, the moral of this IMHO is just to go wherever you want and exercise reasonable caution once you get there. If we stay home they win.

Me? I live in NYC. I still take the subways, cross the bridges, and fly very often from NYC area airports etc. It's business as usual. I won't live in fear here or on vacation. YMMV.

And please - I beg you...No more politics here. I come here to escape that! ;-)

Perhaps you are at greater risk of dying in a car accident. However, your currency is your power. How and where you spend it has significant influence in the world.
I choose not to spend my $$$ in countries that look the other way where radical islam is practiced, especially when it targets innocent tourists - cowards!

Strong statement that I think would be pretty hard to keep to.

Radical Islam is practiced by people in many countries, including the US. The United States constitution guarantees freedom of religion, and as such, there is a whole range of religeous groups, including radicals, in the US. The US government allows radical Islam...it's a matter of law. Maybe don't spend your money in the US.

Radical anything can be a problem. Radical Christians have historically been trouble as well. Can't blame Islam really, it's just the current trend.

There are also other radical groups, some religeous and others not, that pose a threat to mainstream society. One example is the cult group Aum Shinrikyo in Japan, which was responsible for sarin gas in the Tokyo subway system. This group is still active, though not as much so now I think...so you wouldn't spend money in Japan?

Bravo, dperry! They don't just look the other way, either. They allow JI to open and operate schools where young minds are taught the message of hatred & intolerance! Cowards, I agree!

And there is no place for religion in politics. No place at all, imho. I'll get off my VERY high horse, now, & run back to my trip planning!