182 Dead in Bali

[Cassius Clay]

Jesus, does anybody have any idea who done it. More importantly I hope they save as many of the injured as possible.

[canikickit]

The general consenus seems to be that it was Al-Queida. I don't know what the founding for this belief is, I just heard it somewhere.

[Xvall]

That means that they have no fucking clue who did it; so they blamed the 'most wanted'. Could have been the CIA for all you knew.

What pisses me off; 9 out of 10 americans won't hear about this, let alone care. They don't give a shit about things that don't happen to them.

[KickMcCann]

It not that they don't necessarily care, most Americans don't here about these things because the so-called "free press" only reports on events they are interested in. All the "free press" agencies in the US are owned by about 5 super-corporations, who use the "free press" as their propagandist mouth piece. In totalitarian dictatorships, the press is controlled by the government and is their mouth piece, but in the US, the "free press" is the mouth piece of the rich and powerful.
For instance, in the US they have nightly news shows on NBC, CBS, and ABC; along with various news documentaries later in the night. On cable there are channels like CNN and Fox which are 24 hour news. But I also have access to the BBC's World report, which is a Half-hour show. And on that half hour news report by the BBC, I learn more about world events than I would watching CNN or FOX for 12 hours straight. That's because the BBC is actually a news company. Thank god for the BBC.

[AryaN BLitZKrieG]

I Agree with Drake, The USA harbours idiots as citizens

[IHP]

its big news over here.

bali is known for its hindu culture, so there is reason to believe that this was a religious attack from moslem extremists.

this is backed up by the constant christian/moslem gang warfare.

this is just a thought of mine, no idea if its accurate.

--IHP

[peaccenicked]

link to ABC story http://www.abc.net.au/am/s700550.htm

[vodun]

Quote: from Drake Dracoli on 7:45 pm on Oct. 13, 2002
That means that they have no fucking clue who did it; so they blamed the 'most wanted'. Could have been the CIA for all you knew.

What pisses me off; 9 out of 10 americans won't hear about this, let alone care. They don't give a shit about things that don't happen to them.
You're not really as ignorant as you sound, are you? You're just playing devil's advocate, right?

[ArgueEverything]

As i hate pinochet said, Bali has a predominantly Hindu population. Christopher Hitchens recently noted that Al Qaeda has extended its jihad to Hindus as well as Christians and Jews. If you're wondering why you never heard about this, its because the media isn't allowed to air Al Qaeda statements. There might be "coded messages", it is claimed.

If people knew this, would they have stayed away from Bali? Probably not. But i think we have a right to know these things.

[Angie]

It's not just the Hindus - they hit Kuta Beach, a popular tourist region. Short of London, Bali has the highest population of Australian tourists (not to mention a heap of other nationalities, especially Brits on their way to or from Australia) at any one given time - it's the ultimate location to hit a nationality out of it's own borders.

Johnnie Howard has been densely providing unconditional support to Bush, as has Blair. Bali's a way of hitting several different groups at once, especially two that are governed by two particularly stupid (therefore dangerous) lap-dog leaders.

(Edited by Angie at 12:07 am on Oct. 15, 2002)

[Xvall]

Quote: from vodun on 7:54 am on Oct. 14, 2002

Quote: from Drake Dracoli on 7:45 pm on Oct. 13, 2002
That means that they have no fucking clue who did it; so they blamed the 'most wanted'. Could have been the CIA for all you knew.

What pisses me off; 9 out of 10 americans won't hear about this, let alone care. They don't give a shit about things that don't happen to them.
You're not really as ignorant as you sound, are you? You're just playing devil's advocate, right?


O, Wise one. Please enlighten me as to why I am 'ignorant'. For speaking the truth? I don't care what you think, most people I know will NOT care about what happened. I know how Americans act, I'm one of them; I live with them; I go to school with them. A billion people could have died in that incident, they would say 'How Sad' and get on with their sorry little lives. I don't know what fantasy world you're living in where Americans are 'united'. From what I have seen; they don't give a shit about each other, let alone people in another country.

[Annelie]

Just about half an hour ago I watched this interview with some people in Bali. One of them had the point of you that the US themself did it ... just do have a reason to attach another part of this world ... (similar to September 9 maybe? Or Iraq???)

[LeonardoDaVinci]

What you guys are forgetting is that Al Qaeda is not a single definable terrorist organisation. It is a network of overlapping terrorist groups who seem to share a common loathing of the west. A lot of people in Indonesia think that the Jama'a Islamia (which is supposedly an arm of the Al Qaeda network) is responsible for the attack.

This political analyst on CNN was saying that Al Qaeda could be targeting all nationals of those countries which supported Bush's war on terrorism. The attack on the French submaine technicians in Pakistan, as well as the attack on the French tanker in Yemen were cited as an example. He also believes that the terrorists who committed this atrocity knew very well that the majority of victims would be Australian as Australia sends a plane full of tourists to Bali on a weekly basis (let's not forget that Australia was one of the most supportive states in Bush's campaign against terror). He also believes that British targets and citizens will be just as vulnerable as their american counterparts to terror attacks. This was attributed to Tony Blair's blind and implicit support for George W. Bush's administration.

[LeonardoDaVinci]

We are certainly entering a new era of violence and uncertainty. Before, the west and its citizens were mere spectators to the crimes being committed against many innocent civilians around the globe. From Nicaragua, to Palestine, to East Timor, thousands of ordinary civilians were being slaughtered mercilessly and indiscriminately for reasons of which they were totally oblivious. Nevertheless, their pleas for help and their cries went completely unnoticed by the west. There was a general consensus amongst most western citizens that it was "their shit" and they should deal with it. Little did many of those citizens know of their own government's activities, which perpetuated the suffering of many in the third world. The British government for example, supplied Indonesia wit sixteen Hawk fighter jets manufactured by British Aerospace in a deal worth £438 million. This was despite the official adoption of a government 'ethical foreign policy' which prohibited the sale of arms to regimes that might use them for internal repression, the abuse of human rights or external aggression, and despite growing concern for massive human rights violations and fears of genocide in Indonesia's forcefully annexed territory of East Timor - fears which later events proved justified. As late as July 1999, when British Aerospace Hawks were flying over Dili strafing the East Timorese, the UK had still not suspended the export of all military equipment to Indonesia.

This is just a small example of how governments in the west have aided the genocide of countless civilians around the world (and I will not even mention the United States because I won't know where to start). Is it any wonder really then that over the last two decades there has been a growing resentment of the 'civilised' west and all things western, not just in the Middle East, but also in East Asia, Africa, Central and South America.

It is only when such atrocities happen to fellow westerners does the shit hit the fan. An estimated 20,000 afghanis died in the recent strike on Afghanistan (according to the Guardian newspaper) in retaliation for the 9/11 attacks which killed 3,000 innocent civilians, can we remember any of their names? I think not. Did our governments hold a minute's silence for those innocent victims or hold any memorial services? Not while I was awake anyway. When 3,000 Americans die it is a tragedy, when 20,000 afghanis die, it is a statistic.

It is such arrogant and impetuous behaviour that has needlessly created us scores of enemies throughout the third world. It is time for introspection, and only when we are prepared to face up to our despicable past, apologise for our double standards and live up to our own standards of liberty and equality will we stop feeding this cesspool of hate that is threatening everyone one of us right now. Ignorance is no longer an excuse.

[nextamericanrev]

i am american. but only by passport and place of birth. i was raised in indonesia and have lived in Asia longer then i have lived in the states. the tragedy in Bali struck closer to home then the events of 9/11. i agree with drake when he said that if it doesnt happen to the states then who gives a fuck. the pisses me off so much. all they are sayin on the news is about that american football player that died. what about the locals? where are their condolences? if america doesnt change the way they think soon. then someone will have to change it for them

[IHP]

Quote: from LeonardoDaVinci on 8:24 pm on Oct. 14, 2002
knew very well that the majority of victims would be Australian as Australia sends a plane full of tourists to Bali on a weekly basis (let's not forget that Australia was one of the most supportive states in Bush's campaign against terror).


too right mate, 8% of our total outgoing flights is to Bali alone.

--IHP

[peaccenicked]

Does Bush have most to gain(?), for more info see my web diaryhttp://serendipity.magnet.ch/wot/kutabomb.htm

[pjhaynes]

Qoute from i hate pinochet
its big news over here.

"bali is known for its hindu culture, so there is reason to believe that this was a religious attack from moslem extremists."

and from argue everything
"As i hate pinochet said, Bali has a predominantly Hindu population"

bali is not predominantly Hindu. It is the country with the biggest muslim population on earth. I am not blaming muslims for this attack i am just pointing out the facts.

however these attacks were awful. Im from perth and i knew several of the "kingsley players" that were injured and killed, most of them went to my school at some stage as well.

I hope they do get who-ever did the bombing as i t there has been no explanation as to why they did it and we can only speculate.

Lets hope that they do arrest all the people involved.

[Insurrection]

Couldn't have said it better myself Drake. Americans are so wrapped up in their own patriotism and ignorance (the government brainwashes them to be this way), that they couldn't care less if 182 people in Bali died. Hell, they lost THOUSANDS in New York, who the fuck cares if some Aussies died in some obscure country? That's the mentality, even among Canadians, they just DO NOT CARE. I may be generalizing, as many people who are politically aware have opinions on this event, but the majority I would say really didn't give it a second thought.

[suffianr]

I can't really add much on that, Insurrection, because I wouldn't really know the truth, but here in South East Asia things are, well, just fucking peachy, if you ask me.

A day after the Bali blast, the entire Asian political scene just goes apeshit. I mean, the Malaysian government's been talking about enacting National Service (involuntary military service), the Armed Forces are on high alert, a bunch of "extremists" are suddenly dug up out of whatever shithole they were hiding in, well, things just got really out of control for a while there.

And the stock markets? Just fine.

Whilst the West may be indifferent, or even unruffled by such an incident, most South East Asians are still wondering what the fuck happened to our touristy little part of the World. I mean, I'm not even sure about spending New Year's Eve abroad, anymore, know what I mean? Foreign travel is just not the same anymore...

[IHP]

"bali is not predominantly Hindu. It is the country with the biggest muslim population on earth. I am not blaming muslims for this attack i am just pointing out the facts."

um, it is predominantly hindu, thats what makes it unique in Indonesia (as you correctly said is the largest muslim country on earth)

--IHP

[pjhaynes]

apoligies IHP i thought you were talking about indonesia as a whole. Bali the province is mainly hindu as you said.

[nextamericanrev]

on the topic of the religion of bali...my last visit to bali was the sprink break after 9/11 .....i was sitting down talking to a balinese man and he told me how much shit they had been getting from the muslims there and bali as well as the surrounding island....not just because they were hindu but because of the lifestyle they live in bali....i pray this man wasnt injured in that blast as he was a close friend of mine

[Palmares]

Bali is 95% Hindu. I am an Australian, and the loss of Australian (and other countries of course) is unacceptable. Al-Qaeda was never really thought to be behind the attack, but thought to be linked. Jamaah Islamiyah was the main suspect organisation. So far all the people arrested have no links to the organisation. In Australia, ASIO (the Aussie CIA) is raiding peoples houses who have spoken or had contact with the thought to be leader of JI. This is a breach of their human rights, but so was killing 182 people. The pigs are everywhere.

"If this is freedom, then freedom is in chains."
- Cthenthar

(Edited by Cthenthar at 9:47 am on Nov. 6, 2002)