US warned Indonesia of threat to tourist areas

11.45am

WASHINGTON - Before last weekend's deadly bombing in Bali, the United States warned the Indonesian government that tourist areas could be targeted by terrorists with possible links to al Qaeda, administration officials said on Wednesday.

US Ambassador Ralph Boyce delivered the latest warning just a day before the bombing in Bali, which killed more than 180 people, mostly foreign travellers.

In a series of meetings between September 30 and October 11, Boyce urged Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri and her senior advisers to act against extremists, officials.

If Washington's security concerns were not addressed, Boyce warned that the United States could announce its own measures to protect Americans, such as removing US personnel from the country.

But US warnings did not include specific details or intelligence about when or where attacks might occur.

"We've made the concerns well known to the public and shared our concerns with interested governments in the region. These long-standing concerns extended to Indonesia and to its vulnerability to terrorist infiltration, and we shared those concerns with the government of Indonesia," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, has been criticised as a weak link in the US-led war on terror, reluctant to go after its nationals alleged to have terrorist links, apparently out of fear of sparking a backlash.

But in the wake of the Bali bombing, Megawati planned to bypass parliament and enact emergency anti-terror measures that would give police stronger powers to act against suspected extremists.

Neighbours Singapore and Malaysia have used tough internal security laws to round up dozens of members of Jemaah Islamiah, which is suspected of having links with the al Qaeda network blamed for last year's attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.

The Bush administration has long been worried about the possibility of terrorist attacks in Indonesia and repeatedly pressed the country's leadership to crack down on groups with suspected ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.

A month ago, the United States briefly closed its embassy in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta and the consulate in Surabaya based on "credible and specific" information the facilities were at risk of terrorist attack.

At the time, Indonesian Vice President Hamzah Haz complained the closures gave his government a bad image, leaving the impression it could not guarantee the security of US embassy personnel.

After that comment, President George W Bush spoke by telephone on September 16 to Megawati. The White House said the main topic was the war on terrorism.

At about the same time, the director for Asian affairs for the National Security Council, Karen Brooks, quietly paid a visit to Megawati to express US concerns. Brooks has a personal relationship with Megawati and speaks fluent Indonesian.

Boyce pressed Megawati directly on September 30, and followed-up with the country's military chief last week.

The ambassador went on to express concerns about a possible attack to Indonesia's foreign minister on October 11, one day before the Bali blast.

"We explained to the Indonesian government the kinds of measures we would have to consider for the protection of American citizens in the event our security concerns were not addressed," a State Department official said.

In its warnings, the United States said an attack could target areas frequented by American and other tourists.

"We had a concern about a range of facilities, including tourist areas," a US official said. "But we saw nothing that caused us to issue a specific warning to avoid the (Bali) area. None of it went to the specificity of a target or a time."

- REUTERS

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