SO THIS TIME IT IS BALI........AGAIN.!!!!

[susieq]

BALI IS HIT AGAIN WITH MANY TERRORIST BOMBS

[/color]

Aussies saw 'bomb' thrown

From: AAP By Marian Carroll in Denpasar, Bali
October 02, 2005

AUSTRALIAN witnesses believe one of the Bali terrorists threw a bomb under their table a split second before a deadly blast ripped through the beachside restaurant where they were dining.

"A bomb went off right under our table," said Joe Frost, 20, of Newcastle, who had been out with about 17 friends from his home city when bombs rocked two cafes at Bali's popular Jimbaran beach.
"Someone ran past and threw it under there.

"The next thing I know I'm thrown to the ground. It's all black and I can't hear anything.

"I ran into the ocean because I figured that was the safest place."

Mr Frost told AAP that he was dining at the open-air Nyoman Cafe when a bomb went off at the nearby Menega Cafe.

The group jumped to their feet with the sound of the first blast.

"We all stood up and looked around and we were hoping it was a gas explosion," he said.

Suddenly, another blast went off around them.

Mr Frost said he did not see the bomb thrower, but said two of his friends did.

About the same time, a third bomb exploded in Raja's Bar and Restaurant in the heart of the Kuta shopping precinct nearby.

Some of the Newcastle group were among the dead and wounded.

Joe's father Adam Frost, is a doctor who is volunteering at Bali's main Sanglah hospital, where many of the wounded are being treated – some for horrific shrapnel wounds.

The doctor said an entire ward of the intensive care unit was taken up by members of the Newcastle group.

"There's ten of us in that ward, one has been evacuated and another three have died," Dr Frost, who was not with the group at the restaurant, said.

Survivors of the group were coming to grips with the tragedy today.

Julia Lederwasch, 49, and daughter Aleta, 21, suffered shrapnel wounds in the attack.

Dietmar Lederwasch, whose ears were still ringing from the blast today, told of a terrifying four hours when he could not find his daughter.

When the bomb went off, Aleta screamed and ran off, he said.

"I stood at the head of the table and had a panoramic view of the situation," he said.

"There was a sea of people running and then it went all black.

"I couldn't find her for four hours."

Mr Lederwasch said it was an emotional reunion when he visited his wife and daughter in hospital this morning.

"We just burst into tears and hugged each other," he said.

He said it was a miracle that others from Newcastle who were in Bali were not at the Jimbaran restaurant last night.

At least eight families, totalling 40 to 50 people, including two dozen children, had travelled together to holiday in Bali, he said.

However, only about half of the group went for the seafood barbecue.

It was an absolute miracle that the kids decided to stay at the hotel because they were too tired to go out, Mr Lederwasch said.

"I didn't know the extent of it until I got here (the Sanglah hospital) today. I thought our table had been okay," he said.

He said his daughter had been worried about security during the trip.

Another Newcastle family had pulled out of the holiday because of continued warnings from the Indonesian and Australian governments that a terrorist attack was imminent in Indonesia, Joe Frost said.

Members of the Newcastle group well enough to leave Bali would do so as soon as possible, he said.

 
Search for more stories on this topic on Newstext, our news archive service. Click Here
http://www.newstext.com.au/
     
Also In TERROR IN BALI
Bombing to test travellers resolve
Aussie mum among Bali dead: son
Aid for Aussie victims in Bali
Garuda to maintain Bali flights
Injured Aussies 'showing fortitude'
Defence medical team heads to Bali
Suicide bombing points to JI: expert
Muslim leaders fear racist attacks
Terror alert won't be raised: Ruddock
Rumours abound after blasts


COURTESY  OF:
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,16791074-26619,00.html

[susieq]

More on BALI

Tourists' seaside haven ripped apart

By Catharine Munro in Bali and Geesche Jacobsen
October 4, 2005

Photo: Wade Laube

The half-eaten feasts left behind by terrified diners at Jimbaran beach were only yesterday being cleared away by restaurant staff.

For almost 48 hours an eerie frozen moment of the bombing remained while Australian and Indonesian police studied the abandoned scene for clues about the two bombs that exploded on the sand.

Wine bottles lay in their buckets, the ice long melted, cutlery and half-eaten fish sat unmoved. Evening shoes and fleas kicked off by fleeing diners still sat in the sand.

Nothing had been allowed to be cleaned away since Saturday evening when the dining precinct that has become one of Bali's must-do tourist attractions was deserted.

Until Saturday every type of tourist loved an evening at Jimbaran. Surfers, honeymooners and families would all travel to this spot from hotels 30 kilometres away at Kuta to feast on the seafood in the balmy tropical evening. It's universally popular for the experience of dining under the stars on a quiet, protected beach.

About 20 thatched roof restaurants serviced the crowds who flocked to Jimbaran to eat barbecued fish by candlelight at tables on the beach. It was a cheaper way of enjoying the seclusion enjoyed by tourists staying at the nearby resorts.

Advertisement
AdvertisementMost of the 200-odd waiters and cooks were born in Jimbaran, a dry part of Bali that was poor until tourism arrived.

"I never expected that a bomb would explode here," said a distracted Gde Sugiarta, 21, who was born here and has grown up with tourism. His family own the Nyoman Cafe, where one of the bombs exploded. Sugiarta was busy helping police and paying salaries to his staff who will be idle as soon as their clean-up is finished. He was too busy to think about what will happen when today's work is done.

But Gde Poso, a waiter, was already fearing for his future. His boss at the Menega Cafe has already guaranteed to pay him his salary of 900,000 rupiah ($115) a month for three months while the restaurants are shut to diners. "Our life depends on tourism," he said.

Travel agents in Australia say it's "wait and see" for people with plans to travel to Bali.

Some people booked on flights this week have cancelled their tickets, while others have postponed their trips, but many were still in a holding pattern before deciding what to do.

Mike Hatton, the chief executive of the Australian Federation of Travel Agents, said some people would continue to visit Bali.

"It's an Australian playground," he said. "Australians think they are a little bit bulletproof. They will go back. People are starting to say: 'It's happened in New York; it's happened in London. It's part of the overall scene.' "

Haydn Long, a spokesman for Flight Centre, said Bali was the company's most popular international destination, and it had experienced a "fairly steady" flow of calls from people inquiring about their options for changing their destination, cancelling or postponing their trips.

"I expect the interest in Bali will drop off," he said. "Australians love to travel, love to see the world. They will probably go to another destination."


Courtesy of http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/tourists-seaside-haven-ripped-apart/2005/10/03/1128191658671.html

[Queen Bee]

That's really quite a shame... 

[marjorie]

I pray for all those victims. Bombing has been a yearly tragedy in Bali, which is very sad.

[susieq]

This is not so recent, but all there is at present until later in the day....

Police arrest ..........

http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/?feed=TopNews&article=UPI-1-20051019-04374200-bc-indonesia-balisuspect.xml