Blasts in Bali may have link with oil price hikes: observer

JAKARTA, Oct. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Saturday night's bomb blasts in Bali could have link with fuel oil price hikes which were felt by the people as a very heavy burden, the official news agency Antara quoted a political observer as saying.

"I think groups who are unsatisfied with the fuel oil price hike have been behind the explosions, not those who want to shift attention on fuel oil issues," Professor Budiatna, a political observer at the University of Indonesia, said here on Saturday night.

According to Budiatna, the unsatisfied groups thought protests in the form of demonstrations were no longer effective because the government paid no attention to it.

The government increased fuel oil price hike by an average of 126 percent on Saturday.

"They pressured (the government) by resorting to terrors. Their message is to lower the fuel oil price or else the terror acts will continue," the observer added.

The former dean of the social and political science faculty said he did not believe if the terror acts were aimed to shift fuel oil reports.

Reports said that some six bombs exploded at three tourism spots of Jimbaran, Kuta Town Square and Nusa Dua in the tourist resort province of Bali.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono confirmed on Saturday night that 11 people had been killed and 27 others injured in the bombings.

On Oct. 12, 2002, bomb blasts occurred in Bali, killing 202 people, mostly Australian vocationers

Let me see if I understand this report: High Oil Prices = More Terror Attacks. In other words, higher consumer prices for heating oil, diesel and gasoline means we simply paying for more terror attacks? Seem very strange to me, but the idea also rings true. In other words, money breeds terrorism. How very odd. Who would have thought . . .?

Oil must be the root of all evil. Greed = Corruption = Terrorism.

It appears to me that the only solution is to cut off Islamic fanatics from their only source of money. Seize all Arab bank accounts! Boycott oil imports from Islamic nations! We need to drill our own oil and build more oil refineries in the U.S. We need to develop hydrogen powered automobiles . . . Let those camel lovers pound sand! Yeah, right. It will never happen.

There was a news report on local television this morning. Seems that cars are being broken into to steal gasoline. Thieves pry open locked gas caps and siphon off the gas. It's like a plague in Portland. Hundreds of cars have been hit and it's getting worse. Wow! What is the world coming to?

Please tell me all this is simply a very bad dream.

I can see that happening. Some good ole boys are sitting around in the yard, sipping beer (okay, guzzling beer):
Doug: That gasoline sure is getting pricey.
Greg: Yeah, let's go murder some infidels.
Joe Bob: You read my mind.

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