Jakarta bombings
A bloody wake-up call
Jul 17th 2009 YOGYAKARTA
From Economist.com
Hotels are bombed in Jakarta as terrorism returns to haunt Indonesia
AP
JUST as Indonesia was congratulating itself on a largely peaceful presidential election, murderous attacks in the capital have come as a jolt. At least nine people were killed and dozens were injured in early-morning explosions on Friday July 17th at the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in the heart of Jakarta’s business district. Another bomb at the Marriott failed to explode. Elsewhere a car-bomb exploded on a toll-road in the north of the city killing two more people.
The newly re-elected president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, has blamed unknown terrorist groups. None has claimed responsibility. But in a country with more Muslims than any other—some 90% of its 240m population—and a history of terrorist violence, suspicion will inevitably fall on Islamist fanatics. In particular, the focus will be on Jemaah Islamiah (JI), an extremist Islamist group affiliated to al-Qaeda, that has carried out similar outrages in the past, most notably in Bali in 2002, when 202 people from 21 countries were killed.
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Three of the culprits for that slaughter were executed last November, prompting fears of revenge attacks. When none came, it seemed further evidence of the success of the Indonesian authorities in weakening JI. A campaign of “deradicalisation” had weaned away some potential recruits. Some of its leading and most dangerous members, such as Noordin Top, believed to be a bombmaker, were still at large. But many had been rounded up, or driven abroad. Some had taken refuge among other al-Qaeda franchise-holders in Mindanao in the southern Philippines.
The Marriott and the Ritz-Carlton were said to be among the most secure hotels in Jakarta. Elsewhere, however, the ubiquitous security checks at hotels and office blocks in the city centre had often become perfunctory: a mirror on a stick would be wafted under cars entering the grounds; at lobbies, bags would be scrutinised only cursorily and beeping metal-detectors simply ignored.
If Jakarta had let its guard down, it would not be surprising. There have been no attacks that have claimed the lives of foreigners there since 2003, when the Marriott was also bombed though nine locals were killed in an attack on the Australian embassy in 2004. As the memory of such incidents has faded, Indonesia’s image has improved.
Seen in the early years of this century as a dangerous, unstable place where a newly democratic government was struggling to contain separatist and extremist elements, Indonesia has become something of a model of pluralism, tolerance and stability. Not only is democracy well-entrenched, as the recent elections have demonstrated. But also, political Islam seems firmly in the mainstream. Religion was hardly an issue in the presidential election campaign and in the parliamentary poll in April Islamic parties fared worse than they had in the previous election in 2004.
The bombings do nothing in themselves to threaten Indonesia’s fundamental stability or the huge progress it has made in recent years—every country is prey to the violence of a lunatic fringe. But they will dent a carefully nurtured international image. Already, as if to symbolise the setback, and, in the process, disappointing millions of fans whose enthusiasm has been whipped up by a nationwide poster campaign featuring its stars, Manchester United, England’s football champions, have cancelled a visit. The players were booked into the Ritz-Carlton.
译文:
血气弥漫的清晨呼叫
雅加达爆炸
血气弥漫的清晨呼叫
2009年7月17日 雅加达
摘自《经济学人》网络版
恐怖主义重返印尼 首都酒店遭遇袭击
美联社
如印度尼西亚民众举国正庆祝国内近乎和平的总统选举一样，发生在首都雅加达的谋杀事件同样引发了一场震动。7月17日（周五）清晨，位于印尼首都雅加达商务区中心的万豪酒店和丽思卡尔顿酒店发生爆炸，造成至少9人死亡，数10人受伤。万豪酒店中的另一枚炸弹却未爆炸。另外，在雅加达城市北部的一条收费公路还发生一起汽车炸弹爆炸事故，又造成两人丧生。
刚刚连任的总统苏西洛已对不为人知的恐怖组织大加指责。不过，目前尚无组织宣称对此事负责。但是，在一个比其他国家拥有更多穆斯林（印尼人口总数为2.4亿，穆斯林约占人口总数的90％）和有着恐怖暴力事件频繁上演的历史的国家，伊斯兰狂热分子将不可避免地成为了涉案嫌疑人。尤其要说的是，一个同基地组织联系密切的极端伊斯兰组织（伊斯兰祈祷团）成了此案的焦点。伊斯兰祈祷团已在过去制造了类似的暴行，特别是在2002年于巴厘岛施暴，导致来自21个国家的202人死亡。
制造那场屠杀事故的三名罪犯已于去年11月被处决，而此举还引发人们对罪犯进行报复性袭击的担忧。当一切都未发生时，这似乎进一步证明印尼当局在削弱伊斯兰祈祷团势力上取得了成功。而一场“消除激进主义”的运动也已阻断了极端组织招募潜在的部分兵源。伊斯兰祈祷团一些主要的和最为危险的组织成员仍然逍遥法外，如据信是炸弹制造者的托普。但也有许多组织成员遭到了围捕，或驱逐出境。其他有些则是在菲律宾南部棉兰老岛基地组织的特许经营地避难。
万豪酒店和丽思卡尔顿酒店据称是雅加达最为安全的酒店。然而，在雅加达市中心的其他地方，旅馆和办公场所无处不在的安检往往是敷衍于事：柱子上的反光镜会被驶入地下室的汽车带倒;在大堂，行李包只是给粗略检查下，而金属探测器发出的警告也是给完全忽视。
如果雅加达方面允许安保人员放松警惕，这也并不令人意外。自2003年万豪酒店遭遇炸弹袭击以来，雅加达已未发生过夺取外国人生命的袭击事件。尽管澳大利亚大使馆于2004年遇袭，但只是9名当地人身亡。由于人们对此类事故记忆的淡去，印度尼西亚的形象已有所改善。
在本世纪最初数年，印度尼西亚是一个危险而又不稳定的地方，一个刚刚组建的民主政府也正在竭力打击分裂主义分子和极端主义分子。印度尼西亚当前已成为一个多元化，包容和稳定的典范。正如最近的选举已经表明的，印度尼西亚民主不仅是深入人心的，而且伊斯兰教徒看似也已牢牢地在政坛占据主流。在4月份的总统选举和议会选举中，宗教问题几乎并不是一个争议问题，但同2004年的上次大选相比，伊斯兰政党的表现却有所逊色。
爆炸袭击自身不会对威胁印尼的基本稳定或它最近数年取得的巨大进步起到作用，毕竟每个国家都会存在遭到极端分子暴力袭击的事件。但种种袭击事件将对印尼精心塑造的国际形象造成影响。目前，英超冠军曼联曼联足球比赛已经取消印尼之行，而这或许是印尼受挫的一个象征。在这个过程中，数百万曼联球迷们也是失望至极。他们的热情已在一个全国性的海报宣传活动中被激起。英国曼联队球员原定要下榻丽思卡尔顿酒店。