Tourists Should be ‘Beat Up,’ Says Bali Bombing Conspirator
Travel Blog • Michael Yessis • 03.25.08 | 12:27 PM ET
Cleric Abu Bakar Bashir called Western tourists in Indonesia “maggots, snakes and worms,” and he urged his followers not to tolerate them in a sermon captured on video by Australian university student Nathan Franklin.
Bashir spoke last October, but his latest volley of hateful words is only now coming to light. Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said, “These remarks, these reported remarks from a speech six months ago, contain all the familiar bigotry and they are absolutely condemned.”
Bashir was convicted of conspiracy in the 2002 Bali bombings and served 26 months in jail before being released last year. The sermon gives rise to worries that Bashir “had been emboldened by his release from prison,” according to the Telegraph.
Adding to the worries: Three convicted Bali bombers “have edged closer to facing execution after their lawyer resigned.” Bashir has promised retribution should they be executed.
The Australian government, according to the Telegraph, “advises Australians to think carefully before travelling to Indonesia, including Bali, due to a ‘very high’ threat of terrorist attack.”
The United States government has a travel warning in effect, dating to Oct. 5, 2007. As of this post, it hasn’t been updated.
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Michael Yessis is the cofounder and coeditor-in-chief of World Hum.
Jack from eyeflare.com 03.25.08 | 2:59 PM ET
So, has anyone heard of an increase in violence against visitors to Bali?
cheryl tatum 03.25.08 | 4:54 PM ET
We too are planning a Bali trip in 2009. Aren’t the Asian Beach Olympics, or something to that effect, to take place this summer in Bali? I hate to think of these particular individuals, conspirators in the bombings, released and building momentum in hatred to tourists. Please keep us informed.
susannah fairbanks 03.26.08 | 2:04 AM ET
3,000 people died in New york after 9/11. Would you think twice about going to Ny in 2008? probably not. Come on people, get real,go to Bali and have a great vacation. You have better odds of crashing your car in your home town than being a victim of terrorism in Bali.
C A Jones 03.26.08 | 2:15 PM ET
1) Susannah: I trust the US/NY anti-terror and police to do their usual good job; can you say the same for the Islamic state of Indonesia, including Bali?
2) In southern Thailand (97% Buddhist), Islamists there have have killed 75 teachers and burned down 297 public school buildings since early 2004 with drive-by shootings increasing lately. Teachers are being taught to shoot various weapons and the military has personnel stationed in elementary schools.
The overall Thai death toll from these Islamists is over 3,000 in the last 2+ years; including machete-ing monks and burning temples.
And that’s in a Buddhist country with no Republicans and even GW is not the president.
So why do you think the USA and AUS issued the warnings? And why support a country/government such as Indonesia, even with a place like (formerly) beautiful Bali?
kris 07.01.08 | 3:07 PM ET
To whom it may concern:
After watching the documentary of “Ganja Queen”, the story of Shapelle Corby, who was wrongfully imprisoned in Bali for supposedly “smuggling marijuana”, I strongly believe that your TOURISM will be very negatively affected by American Tourists. The documentary aired last night in the States and the outcome of people’s opinions is terrible for BALI.
Your country is CORRUPT, it is blantantly obvious that the poor girl had nothing to do with trafficing marijuana and I hope your countries tourism suffers tramatically because they placed an innocent person in prison for a crime she didn’t commit. After watching your prime ministers continuously laugh at her tears and plead for justice, it makes me wonder how there could be such ignorant people in this world.
I know the Australians are extremely unhappy with your country and know the American’s will forfeit all travel as well.
By the way, how could your Prime Ministers sentance a terrorist BOMBER only 2 weeks after Corby for 30 MONTHS IN PRISON??? HE KILLED NUMERIOUS PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AND THEY GIVE THIS POOR GIRL 20 YEARS?? THIS IS RIDICULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!