Two devastating suicide bombings in Bali, days before the third anniversary of the more severe attacks on the tourist district which killed 202 people there, have brought the vulnerability of this idyllic holiday destination to terrorist assault once more to international attention.
The bombings are attributed to the Indonesian and south-east Asian organisation Jemaah Islamiyah, which is linked loosely to al-Qaeda. They are clearly intended to disrupt Bali's revived tourist trade and rattle the Indonesian government. Indonesians, Australians, Americans, Koreans and Japanese dominate the list of 26 dead and 122 wounded, showing Bali's enduring appeal.
Bali itself is a Hindu enclave in the overwhelmingly Muslim Indonesian archipelago. But although Indonesia is the largest Muslim state in the world it would be quite wrong to conclude there is widespread support for such terrorism. In fact it appeals to a small minority. Jemaah Islamiyah was founded 1993 and draws on older movements of Islamic fundamentalism. Its leading figures linked up with similar movements elsewhere during the 1980s war in Afghanistan, when they were recruited by the CIA to fight against the Soviet-backed regime there. Their programme is to impose an Islamic state on the country and on neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore; but they have failed to attract electoral or widespread popular support, despite their efforts to exploit economic and social frustrations and resentments in this developing country.
Australia prime minister John Howard led international condemnation of the attack and said it is also aimed at undermining the new Indonesian president, Susilo Bambeng Yudhoyono, as he weathers popular discontent on fuel prices and a crackdown on crime. He has been leading counter-terrorism moves against Jemaah Islamiyah since coming to power after attacks on a US hotel chain and the Australian embassy in Jakarta in 2003 and 2004. Following the tsunami disaster and Mr Howard's own re-election, the two states have been co-operating more on regional security and economic issues after a prolonged stand-off between them. This was reinforced by the furore over the 20-year sentence on the young Australian tourist Schappelle Corby for drug trafficking last year, which was contrasted with the lenient treatment of leading Islamic figures.
Bali's tourist industry has now been dealt another devastating blow intended to disrupt this developing regional political co-operation. The attacks have been linked to Iraq, where both states have troops, and with similar movements nearby in the Philippines and Malaysia. Suicide bombings are notoriously difficult to prevent. Unfortunately these two were carefully targeted to reinforce one another in middle range and luxurious districts. Global communications and international tourism brings this home to an apprehensive worldwide audience. It is important to understand that the groups responsible are quite unrepresentative of most Muslims.