The concept of suicide bombing is spreading to Asia!
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U.S. Envoy in Indonesia Warns Americans of Future Attacks
By RAYMOND BONNER
JAKARTA, Indonesia, Aug. 13 — The American ambassador here called a meeting of American residents this morning and warned them that future terrorist attacks, like the one at the J. W. Marriott Hotel last week, were likely.
In a dramatic reflection of the changing nature of the terrorist threat, and stiffer security measures, the meeting was held in a courtyard inside the American Embassy itself.
"The unprecedented decision to hold this town meeting at the embassy is based on our assessment that it is currently the most secure environment in Jakarta to hold a large gathering of American citizens," Ambassador Ralph L. Boyce said in his message announcing the meeting.
Only a year ago, the embassy was considered a prime terrorist target. Indeed, the previous meeting to discuss security with American residents, on the eve of the Iraq war, was held at the Marriott.
Journalists were permitted to attend the ambassador's meeting with Americans today, but were not allowed to report his remarks or the questions, in the belief that many of the citizens, already nervous enough, would not feel comfortable talking in front of reporters.
In a meeting with the press after the public meeting, Mr. Boyce said that he had told the Americans that "if you leave here today more concerned, even more frightened, then you got the message."
"There is a small but determined group with access to bomb-making material out there," Mr. Boyce told the reporters. "Therefore it is safe to say there will probably be more terrorist attempts."
In recent months, Indonesian authorities have rounded up scores of suspected Islamic terrorists. But there are several thousand Indonesian men who trained at Al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan who are unaccounted for, Australian intelligence officials say.
Compounding the current alarm is a switch in terrorist tactics, to the use of suicide bombers.
It had long been felt that suicide bombers were alien to Asian culture. But American officials now believe the reports by the Indonesian police that a suicide bomber was responsible for the attack at the Marriott, as well as the blasts in Bali last October that killed more than 200.
Tempo magazine, a respected weekly here, reported this week that Jemaah Islamiyah, the radical Islamic group that Indonesian and Western officials have said was responsible for the Bali and Marriott attacks, has formed a special suicide squad.
Jemaah Islamiyah is considered by American and Australian intelligence to be the local affiliate of Al Qaeda, though the exact definition of the links between the two groups is murky.
The overall commander of Al Qaeda's operations in Southeast Asia is an Indonesian who goes by the name of Hambali, American officials say. He has thwarted an intensive manhunt, by Americans and Australians, and is now high on the Americans' most wanted list, only a notch or two below Osama bin Laden himself.
The State Department has cautioned Americans in Indonesia to stay away from, or use extreme caution at, places where Westerners gather, especially hotels, clubs, restaurants, shopping centers, public transportation, places of worship, schools and outdoor recreation events. These are all places where just about every Westerners normally goes.
In a raid on the house of a Jemaah Islamiyah member in central Java last month, the Indonesian police found documents from which they compiled a list of likely terrorist targets.
These include such American companies as Halliburton, Exxon Mobil and Unocal, The Los Angeles Times reported earlier this week. The American Embassy alerted the oil companies that they were among the terrorist targets last month, a person who attended the briefings said.
There are some 10,000 Americans living in Indonesia, about half of them in Jakarta, according to the embassy. By contrast, some 20,000 Americans live and work in neighboring Singapore, and many businessmen have moved their families there for security reasons. But there is little sense of panic among the American community here.
Today the Jakarta International School opened for the new year; it was closed last year for several weeks after the Bali bombing.
The owner of the Marriott Hotel said he plans to re-open in early September, and the American ambassador has said he will have no reservations about going there |
