What to say now, the nightmare is back?
There's a white 'sheet of paper' in front of me and since one hour I'm thinking about what to write on it, maybe depression is the right word to describe my feelings now and I couldn't eat or drink as much as I would like to vomit.
Since yesterday afternoon (GMT +1) I was gathering every available information from different sources and I was reading countless posting on this forum, there are different statements from different perspectives to read here and in summary the main points are, shall we go or not, increase the security for us, who is to blame?
Comparisons were made, some of them I found interesting, some of them are plain stupid, some of them lack every view on the bloody reality.
Whenever I was asked in the aftermath of the 12/10 bombing, is it safe to go to Bali, shall we be afraid, are my children in danger, I always stated it's as safe as anywhere else, I wouldn't worry one minute to go there, I thought the bombs in Sari Club and Paddies have been an unique incident, yesterday they proved me I was wrong, they did it again and this time it was maybe really the nail into the coffin like somebody stated here.
'Shall we go or better stay at home in front of the TV'?
I don't know anymore what to answer due this, at the one hand this will have a devastating impact on the Balinese economy and on the citizen of Bali, at the other hand there is also a responsibility toward the travellers who carry this economy and it is certainly too simply to reduce it on, 'when we don't go, the terrorists have won'.
It is irresponsible, to tell this people, who are looking for advice in the trust of the experience and estimation of long term members of this forum, 'go and have a ball'.
Yesterday, Israel has called back 2200 of its citizen from vacation on the Sinai (Egypt) due serious information regarding expected terror attacks there, everybody who would dare to advise them to ignore this will certainly find himself in a madhouse, they will take this very seriously because they ARE experienced with terrorism for centuries.
Maybe here is the reason for some of the statements by Australian forumities, YOU are not used to terrorism it is something new for you, so this lack of comprehension is understandable.
Who to blame for this attack and who could have avoided it?
The Balinese polisi, the system of justice, the government, the tourism industry, I ask you how?
Whoever was once in Israel will know about their sometimes frightening security measures, but even a six metre tall concrete wall will not protect them against suicide bombers.
The UK has experience with the terror since centuries, their public places are monitored by video cams, they are not able to stop suicide bombers, not even when they know it will happen!
It's impossible to guaranty security, all we can try is to minimize to risk, but what can the police do in case of a suicide attack, every system of justice can only be reactive, it works only AFTER something happened, or shall we install Guantanamo all over the world?
Hundred thousands of the best equipped soldiers in the Iraq are powerless to stop the terror there, hundreds of people are killed day by day due terror attacks there and all the high tech will not avoid this.
Bali is a Hindi enclave in the country with the most population of Muslims in the world, the average income is higher than in every other part of Indonesia, it's also representing 'Western decadence' and it's an economical factor in the battle for the 'right way of life', in summary it's representing everything these people are fighting toward and are hating and it's a soft target.
John Howard is right, this was not an attack toward Australian or other Western tourists, it was an attack on the Government of the Republic of Indonesia and on its President an attack on the democracy in Indonesia with the goal of destabilization.
Hit and run, a simple strategy, minimal effort with maximum impact, an attack toward a hotel in Jakarta is not even a news in many countries, the attack on Bali is THE news around the world, maximum publicity.
By killing the tourist industry on Bali, the terrorists could achieve several goals at once, additional to the existing energy crisis more economical pressure on the Government, maybe another religious/ ethnological conflict could be established inside Indonesia, this would tie forces, keep the authorities busy and distract from their own activities and just beside will certainly eliminate some 'unbelievers' in their eyes, so why should they stop now?
Some of these murders will be caught and sentenced, some will be killed, but this will not solve the problem, other will take their places, there is an almost endless reservoir of them.
It's hard for me to write these lines, like you all, I love Bali and the Balinese, but we also cannot close our eyes and ignore the reality, Bali isn't safe anymore.
I know, what some of you will think now, there's risk all time and everywhere and you are right with this, yes you can be killed on your way to the airport, yes a flash-lighting can strike you, yes the people in London, Madrid or New York have to continue with their daily life.
All this is right with a big difference; we cannot chose in all this cases, BUT we can chose where to spent our holidays, we can chose, if we risk the lives of our children or not, there is never a guaranty this could not happen anywhere else in the future too, but we can try to minimize the risk.
For me personally, I have planned to visit Bali in January and I have decided to go, despite of bird flue, possible terror attacks and in expecting a saddened, almost empty island.
Let me explain my decision, for me it's a matter of calculation, I'm not responsible for anybody else, I'm doing risky things where the probability to die is often higher and I'm looking forward to get to know some people finally personally over there, people who doesn't have a choice, they have to live on Bali.
When somebody will ask me now, so why I shouldn't take my family, my kids to Bali, all I can say is, everybody has to make its own decisions, but I would consider it as too risky under this circumstances and who knows, if they will not hit Ubud, Lovina or Candi Dasa the next time ?
A suicide bomber doesn't have to escape!
Sorry guys, I wished I could have encouraged you to go, but from my personal opinion I wouldn't recommend it anymore, let's all hope I will be wrong with this estimation, for the sake of all Balinese.
Best regards
Thorsten