Posted on 10/13/2002 10:50:43 PM PDT by MadIvan
AUSTRALIA, a virtual stranger to terrorism, was robbed of its innocence when scores of its citizens were killed in Bali.
With more than 100 dead, injured or missing, thousands of distraught relatives waited for news of their loved ones from the island that for Australians is equivalent to Benidorm or Ibiza. As the death toll rose rapidly, it appeared likely to prove Australia’s worst loss of life outside wartime.
Bali is where young Australians go to party. It is the country’s most popular overseas tourist destination, with more than 300,000 visiting last year. Between 10,000 and 20,000 were believed to be on the island at the weekend, including Australian sports teams celebrating the end of their season.
John Howard, Australia’s Prime Minister and a staunch supporter of America’s war against terrorism, said that the bombings were “wicked and cowardly”. He ordered a mass removal of thousands of Australians from Bali, sending in civilian and military aircraft to airlift the injured and able- bodied to safety.
In one of the biggest peacetime operations in Australian aviation history, a fleet of aircraft from the national airline, Qantas, was diverted to the Bali capital of Denpasar to pick up tourists who had been advised to leave the island.
Four Royal Australian Airforce Hercules transport aircraft flew in medical teams to treat those critically injured and to take them to hospitals in Darwin. The Department of Foreign Affairs said that Australians should not travel to Bali in the near future and advised those on the island to remain in their hotels for now.
The bombed club had been packed with young foreign tourists and offered a soft target for terrorists opposed to the active support of Britain and Australia for American military action against Iraq.
Mr Howard said that the attack a “clear act of terrorism” but he there was no clear evidence to suggest that Australia was being made a target because of its support of the Bush Administration. “Whether or not there is a particular anti-Australian component in this I can’t tell, but Kuta Beach, which is frequented by a lot of Australians, is also frequented by other westerners,” he said. “I can only say again that the war against terrorism must go on with unrelenting vigour and with an unconditional commitment.”
In emotional scenes repeated across the country, families prayed for telephone calls or messages from relatives in Bali that in many cases never came.
Seven members of the Kingsley Australian Rules Football Club from Perth, who had gone to Bali to celebrate their premiership win, were among those missing. Bruce Anderson, their secretary, said: “They only arrived there yesterday afternoon and within a couple of hours it is all ruined.”
At Forbes in New South Wales, which had three players from its rugby union team unaccounted for, Alex McKinnon, a club spokesman, said: “We’re just waiting in hope. We’re all devastated.”
In Adelaide the fate of two members of the Sturt Australian Rules Club was unknown. Steve Chapman, the club secretary, said that the rest of the team were “shell-shocked and if you look at the television pictures you can understand why”.
The first Australian to arrive home was Rick Elliott of Melbourne, who was in the nightclub when the bomb exploded. He was treated in the Royal Darwin Hospital for cuts to his head and leg. “There was a loud explosion and the ceiling collapsed on me,” he said. “I was shocked and lifted the ceiling away from me and wasn’t sure what was happening. Thirty seconds later the whole place was alight and there was a whole lot of people clambering over a brick wall at the rear of the club. I jumped up on the fence and climbed on to another roof and the heat of the place was just really, really intense.”
Daryl Williams, the Australian Attorney-General, announced that Canberra was reviewing security arrangements at its overseas embassies. He said that the Government’s security task force would meet soon to discuss what measures needed to be put in place.
About 30,000 people packed central Melbourne for an anti-war rally yesterday and observed a two-minute silence for the Bali victims.
I prefer them to be sent to hell.
Very sad news. You have my deepest sympathies, and you are in my prayers.
Dear...NOT! Terrorists:
You are idiots! Complete and utter idiots, all of you! What sort of fools are you that you would keep doing everything in your power to provoke the wrath of nations such as Australia, America, Great Britain, Russia, Israel, India, etc.?
Did you really expect the Australians to tuck their tails and run from the war? The only thing you managed to achieve by committing this evil and cowardly deed was to pi$$ off and strengthen the resolve of yet another powerful nation.
Nice going Islamoidiots!
Regards, Ivan
Regards, Ivan
Britain and Australia may not get along on all occasions, but I certainly respect them as a nation, and as a people.
Regards, Ivan
They need to be told that the civilized world has enough of their jihad. Then give them the arrival time of the incoming on their holy sites. Explain that this is their last chance to die as martyrs because islam will no longer be tolerated.
May God bless and protect our respective leaders, militaries and people, as we join hands with strength and conviction to defeat this cowardly, murderous foe!
Thanks for this Ivan.
I have been following this event fairly closely and as yet have not seen a single note or article on any muslim group or state holding an anti-terrorism rally. I have not seen the muslim community express any regret for the loss of life in Bali, only finger pointing to some other governemnt or agency. I have yet to see through all of the events a single muslim individual or group stand up and say "This has got to stop, we can't keep killing people."
I have seen them dancing in the streets celebrating the murder of hundreds of innocent people that had done nothing more in their lives than trying to be good people in their communities and countries.
Yet today, and for the past few weeks I have seen people that I know standing on the corner waving signs protesting our "Rush to War", and proclaiming what an idiot the President of the United States is. Tears come to my eyes when I think of the horror that may soon be visited upon them by those who say theirs is a religion of peace. Then again, I doubt that terrorists would take the time to murder people who support their acts of terror.
I note that there are no demonstrations in Israel by Israelis against the war being fought in their streets against terrorism. I guess it is easy to protest here at home, and there in Australia, when you know the very government you are protesting against is doing everything it can to protect your right to do just that.
God bless and protect us in the days to come.
That's a fact. And the three countries on the face of this earth with the best of intentions and the grit of character to do something about these animals will not stand by and wait for the diplomacy of cowards to stop this insanity.
I strongly disagree with this assessment. This is akin to saying it is necessary for a young woman to be brutally raped before she realizes... And at any rate, maybe some have a harsher assessment. If you can say bombing a couple hundred people into oblivion is a good object lesson- why can't the next Joe say "No, that's not enough. What's really necessary and I REALLY hate to say it but what the US (Australia, Britain etc) needs is to have half its major cities wiped out by a bio weapon or nuke. Then they'll wake up". There is essentially no difference in those statements except degree- and in matters of degree and loss of life, it is not for you to say what is an appropriate number of people to die and be maimed. A judgement like lies solely with God.
If people were "asleep" before 9/11, this is naive, true. Naivity isn't a killing offense though and to say that this was necessary is, in a way, saying the victims "had it coming".
Those guys think that they can just go around bombing clubs, embassies, crashing planes into buildings, and strapping semtex on themselves to use in suicde attacks, and they think they can do that with impunity. Well, their time is quickly running out and if they think they can continue with their nefarious activities unimpeded then they are wrong ....dead wrong!
By the way in your list of the nations that are fed up with islamic terrorism (you listed Australia, America, Great Britain, Russia, Israel, India) also remember Kenya! Experienced firsthand the 'work' of UBL and lost over 200 in the attack (with thousands wounded). I am pretty sure UBL would be very welcome in Kenya ....although the welcome would include the 'gift' of a burning tire around his neck and a slow excrutiating death!
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