[ OUR OPINION ]
Bali attack calls for strong
South Asia responseSOUTH Asia has been regarded as a rear battle zone since the war against terrorism was launched a year ago, but the explosion that killed nearly 200 people in Bali moves it to the front lines. The bombing should bring pressure on the Indonesian government to take stronger action against terrorism and increase attention to a resurgence of terrorist activity in the Philippines that ultimately could threaten Hawaii's security.
THE ISSUE Nearly 200 people have been killed in a terrorist bombing of a nightclub catering to Western visitors in Indonesia.
The explosion was set off at a nightclub in Bali that catered to foreign tourists. Most of the victims were Australians, who regard Bali in much the same way that Americans view Hawaii as a sunny vacation spot. The targeting of a tourist destination by terrorists linked to the al-Qaida organization raises concern to new levels.
Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri has been less than zealous in her effort to fight terrorism on her country's soil. While reportedly cooperating with U.S. officials behind the scenes, she has been careful to avoid a political backlash by devout Muslims.
Abu Bakar Bashir, leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah terror group linked to al-Qaida and who lives openly in Central Java, denied responsibility for the Bali bombings, blaming the United States. Indonesia Vice President Hamzah Haz, who has defended Bashir in the past, speculated outrageously that the bombing had been politically "engineered," although he declined to say by whom.
The Bali bombing should prompt Sukarnoputri to take a more defiant stance against terrorism on her country's soil. It also should lead to enactment of an anti-terrorism bill that has been stalled in Indonesia's parliament. Any lesser response would amount to an acknowledgment of Indonesia as a haven for Islamic terrorists.
In the Philippines, the al-Qaida-connected Abu Sayyaf group seemed to have been nearly eliminated in August. Philippine defense officials reported that their numbers had dwindled from 800 in January to fewer than 50. However, most of the rebels had deserted -- perhaps temporarily -- and four of the group's five senior leaders remain at large.
At least 11 Philippine marines were killed in gun battles with the Abu Sayyaf on Sunday. A U.S. Special Forces soldier was killed on Oct. 2 in a bomb blast on the island of Mindanao. A Jordanian man who ran an Islamic organization believed to be linked with al-Qaida has been arrested as a suspect in the Mindanao blast. The bombing came only two days after another bomb was defused minutes before it would have exploded on Mindanao.
The bombings in both Indonesia and the Philippines provide stark evidence that terrorist activity is increasing in South Asia. Western-based tourism sites in the Pacific basin need curtains against becoming further horrific scenes in the theater of war.
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