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2003-01-14 Southeast Asia

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Posted by Steve 2003-01-14 08:54 am|| || Front Page|| [2 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 I'm sorry if I sound naive, but how can the Balinese arrest this whole bunch of baddies so quickly after the atrocity and, at the same time, appear so incompetent in gathering the kind of intelligence that could have averted the massacre? Such quick round-up of human-killing suspects demonstrates either sharp, effective, focused police work or somebody dropping off a list of perps at the Bali police HQ on the way to lunch... If it is the former condition that characterizes Bali's law enforcement, how come they were caught so fatally unprepared? Again, a naive question....

Posted by Nik Karanikos 2003-01-14 10:07:44|| [sphaera.blogspot.com] 2003-01-14 10:07:44|| Front Page Top

#2 The Indon coppers were a pleasant surprise after the Bali bombings. Up until that point the entire nation looked like it was either in denial of the existence of terrorism in Indonesia, or actively on the Bad Guys' side. See especially remarks and actions of Hamzah Haz, the vice president, who was fond of visiting jailed jihadis and pronouncing his solidarity with them. He's still around, by the way, but discredited, which means he'll keep his mouth shut for a few months until the heat's off.

I think the vicious nature of the bombing is what woke Indonesia, coupled with the obvious prevarications of some people pretty high up in the government - Haz, of course, but also prominent MPs and other apologists. Like some of the more stupid American fifth-columnists, they didn't notice when the wind changed and went right on with business as usual. Bashir, who's the root of all evil in this story, made things worse for the Islamist side by blaming "infidels" for the attack, suggesting that the relatives of the victims convert to Islam as soon as possible, and later threatening to destroy Australia. Pretty bloodthirsty for someone who went into the hospital because his little heart was going pitty-pat, rather than going into custody like the common folk. He's managed to make himself look both sinister and ridiculous at the same time, and I think the Indons have written him off as a holy man and potential khalif.

Bali itself is primarily Hindu, and a Buddhist-influenced version of Hindusim at that, so they haven't felt like they have a dog in the Islamist-Western fight. Since most of the rest of Indonesia is Muslim, with the sort of economic development usually found in Muslim-dominated area, Bali's tourist industry accounts for a significant amount of change, and the bully boys managed to hurt the entire nation at once.

As with much of life in Southeast Asia, a lot depends on who's in charge of an action. Pastika seems to be exceptionally competent. If the investigation was being handled by the army, for instance, I doubt if it would have rooted out as many bad guys as it has. Having the Australians and the U.S. looking over their shoulder may have given them the impetus to excel, and having Singapore and Malaysia humming a chorus of "Toldja so! Toldja so!" has also provided a bit encouragement.

Posted by Fred 2003-01-14 11:05:48|| 2003-01-14 11:05:48|| Front Page Top

#3 Fred: Thanks for this quick, lucid answer... The sad, sad truth is that it takes atrocities like Bali's sometimes to get people off their rear ends and doing something decisive about the lunatics with the bombs.

Posted by Nik Karanikos 2003-01-14 12:05:58|| [sphaera.blogspot.com] 2003-01-14 12:05:58|| Front Page Top

#4 Here's another factor - it's generally true that most Southeast Asian police spend all their time just sitting around watching the protection money roll in. But when something happens that requires them to get up off their butts, they can be brutally efficient!

Posted by Scooter McGruder 2003-01-14 13:48:28|| 2003-01-14 13:48:28|| Front Page Top

#5 Emphasis on the "brutal"...

Posted by mojo 2003-01-14 14:19:43|| 2003-01-14 14:19:43|| Front Page Top

#6 Another factor is the help of the Australian Federal Police, who have been able to monitor and track phone calls and other useful stuff the Indons can't do.

Posted by Paul 2003-01-15 03:51:35|| 2003-01-15 03:51:35|| Front Page Top

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