A senior police counter terrorism officer
has warned that Bali is still a preferred target among the country’s
terrorist cells, with Indonesia’s homegrown terrorist network still
trying to hit the resort island for a third time after deadly bombings
in 2002 and 2005. “This network has continuously tried to find a way to
act. When they realized that several of their actions in other parts of
the country produced lesser results and exposure than they expected, the
terrorists began to look again at Bali as a preferred target,” Comr.
Kurnia Wijaya said on the sidelines of a meeting on terrorism prevention
in Denpasar.
Comr. Kurnia Wijaya heads the prevention
unit of the police’s Densus 88 counterterrorism unit. Densus 88 is
responsible for the arrests of several most wanted terrorists as well as
for disrupting terrorist cells and networks across the archipelago. In
March, the unit raided a budget hotel in Sanur and intercepted two
motorists in west Denpasar. In the ensuing shootout, five suspected
terrorists were killed. The police believed they were preparing attacks
targeting several locations in Bali. Comr. Kurnia Wijaya pointed out
that the incident showed Bali was still high on the terrorists’ hit
list. He added police had also detected the presence of a terrorist
network on the island that kept moving from one place to another.
The network left and entered the island
frequently to escape police attention. “Security at the island’s ports
of entry should be tightened. Authorities should continue to follow and
update terrorist movements and take actions to stop them,” he said,
refusing to elaborate further. He called on the public to remain
vigilant and report to the authorities if they had concerns. Previously,
Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika said Bali would continue to enhance
its security standards toward an internationally certified system. “We
expect many tourists to come to Bali, but among the tourists, there are
also terrorists.” Maj. Gen.
Agus Surya Bakti, deputy for prevention,
protection and deradicalization at the National Counterterrorism Agency
(BNPT), said that terrorists had turned to social media to recruit and
spread their ideas. “Through social media, they train their new
followers and collect funds for their actions,” he said, adding that
they also found money by breaking into the servers of multi- level
marketing companies. Bali has twice been hit by bombs, the first on Oct.
12, 2002, when 202 victims were killed, and the second on Oct. 1, 2005,
which claimed 23 lives.
source : bali daily
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