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A New Gateway at Bali's Gateway
Security Upgraded at Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport with Inauguration of New Exit Tollgate.
(4/29/2006) In part of a program of enhanced security measures at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport, a new exit tollgate together with a 1.2 kilometer access road were formally opened on Friday, April 28, 2006.
The gateway and connecting road, built at a cost of Rp. 7 billion (approximately US$ 777,000), is part of an ongoing program to reduce the danger of terrorist attacks at Bali's only international airport. The new gateway and road will divert road traffic off the current access road, judge by security experts to be too close to aircraft parked on the airport's tarmac. Additional work is now underway that will eventually close the current access road to all public traffic, diverting both inbound and outbound vehicular traffic to the new gate and roadway.
Extensive Safety Improvements
Other safety improvements recently introduced at Bali's airport, include:
• Improved perimeter fencing encircling the entire airport.
• A state-of-the-art "Crisis Center" coordinated by the Airport Authority Administrator and under the command of the Denpasar Chief of Police to act as a monitoring and command post control center for airport security.
• Regular large-scale emergency drills enacting a whole variety of emergency situations ranging from unidentified packages, to air disasters, to a simulated hijacking.
• All passenger, baggage and cargo screening equipment now undergo daily operational reviews with a staff now specially dedicated to maintenance and repair.
• An increase from 217 to 650 the number of trained security personnel employed at the Airport. Security staff are further supplemented by elite security personnel provided by the Indonesian Armed Forces.
The gateway and connecting road, built at a cost of Rp. 7 billion (approximately US$ 777,000), is part of an ongoing program to reduce the danger of terrorist attacks at Bali's only international airport. The new gateway and road will divert road traffic off the current access road, judge by security experts to be too close to aircraft parked on the airport's tarmac. Additional work is now underway that will eventually close the current access road to all public traffic, diverting both inbound and outbound vehicular traffic to the new gate and roadway.
Extensive Safety Improvements
Other safety improvements recently introduced at Bali's airport, include:
• Improved perimeter fencing encircling the entire airport.
• A state-of-the-art "Crisis Center" coordinated by the Airport Authority Administrator and under the command of the Denpasar Chief of Police to act as a monitoring and command post control center for airport security.
• Regular large-scale emergency drills enacting a whole variety of emergency situations ranging from unidentified packages, to air disasters, to a simulated hijacking.
• All passenger, baggage and cargo screening equipment now undergo daily operational reviews with a staff now specially dedicated to maintenance and repair.
• An increase from 217 to 650 the number of trained security personnel employed at the Airport. Security staff are further supplemented by elite security personnel provided by the Indonesian Armed Forces.
© Bali Discovery Tours. Articles may be quoted and reproduced if attributed to http://www.balidiscovery.com. All images and graphics are copyright protected.Galungan and Kuningan in Bali
May 3 and May 13, 2006 Marks Celebration of Galungan and Kuningan â a Most Colorful and Interesting Part of the Year to be in Bali.
(4/30/2006) Galungan - this year falling on Wednesday, May 3, 2006, begins a 10 day celebration of fundamental importance on the Bali Hindu calendar and a particularly interesting time for visitors to be on the most spiritual of islands.
Marking the beginning of a window lasting ten days, Galungan and Kuningan is the period when the spirits of deceased ancestors descend to earth to once again be among their families. In order to welcome and appease both ken and kin, ancestral temples are cleaned, special offerings are made, and dances are presented to humor the hearts and bring contentment to those members of the family, now deceased, back for a brief reunion with family and friends.
Celebrating the triumph of good over evil, Balinese also see this as a period of introspection and self-correction; a time to repudiate those negative elements in their personality - such as deceit, thievery, violence, anger and jealousy. Balinese staff working across the island are given leave days at this time to return to their home villages and attend to ancestral temples during the celebration of Galungan and its complementing holiday of Kuningan, ten days later.
Visitors driving across the island during these holidays are certain to see giant Penjor - bamboo altar-poles, decorating streets and doorways of every village. Their looming presence, forming hallowed tunnels of palm leaf left and right down villages lanes, proclaim an ancient victory of Dharma over King Mayadanawa, an evil and godless king who once controlled Bali.
Galungan and the celebration of Kuningan ten days later on Saturday, May 13, 2006, when ancestral spirits again take their leave of this earth, is a very special period when the people of Bali are on their very best behavior: every village bustles with musical and dance performances; streets are clogged with elegantly dressed families carrying huge mounds of breathtakingly beautiful offerings to nearby temples; and the Balinese feel a very special attachment with their families, friends and the island they love.
Marking the beginning of a window lasting ten days, Galungan and Kuningan is the period when the spirits of deceased ancestors descend to earth to once again be among their families. In order to welcome and appease both ken and kin, ancestral temples are cleaned, special offerings are made, and dances are presented to humor the hearts and bring contentment to those members of the family, now deceased, back for a brief reunion with family and friends.
Celebrating the triumph of good over evil, Balinese also see this as a period of introspection and self-correction; a time to repudiate those negative elements in their personality - such as deceit, thievery, violence, anger and jealousy. Balinese staff working across the island are given leave days at this time to return to their home villages and attend to ancestral temples during the celebration of Galungan and its complementing holiday of Kuningan, ten days later.
Visitors driving across the island during these holidays are certain to see giant Penjor - bamboo altar-poles, decorating streets and doorways of every village. Their looming presence, forming hallowed tunnels of palm leaf left and right down villages lanes, proclaim an ancient victory of Dharma over King Mayadanawa, an evil and godless king who once controlled Bali.
Galungan and the celebration of Kuningan ten days later on Saturday, May 13, 2006, when ancestral spirits again take their leave of this earth, is a very special period when the people of Bali are on their very best behavior: every village bustles with musical and dance performances; streets are clogged with elegantly dressed families carrying huge mounds of breathtakingly beautiful offerings to nearby temples; and the Balinese feel a very special attachment with their families, friends and the island they love.
© Bali Discovery Tours. Articles may be quoted and reproduced if attributed to http://www.balidiscovery.com. All images and graphics are copyright protectedI Love a Balinese Parade!
Balidiscovery.com Picture Coverage of Bali's Ogoh-Ogoh Parades Welcoming Bali's New Year - Caka 1928.
(4/2/2006) Police officials estimated that some 2,600 giant Ogoh-ogoh stalked the streets across the entire island of Bali on March 29. 2006, marking the festive commemoration of pangerupukan (ngerupuk) - the lively celebrations that precedes the day of absolute Silence of "Nyepi" that commences with sunrise the following morning.
Determined not to miss the fun, Bali Update's editor, John M. Daniels, headed to the community of Benoa, surrounding Nusa Dua, to enjoy the parade of Papier Mâchè effigies that went on for hours.
Seeking to win honors as the best presentation as judged by a blue-ribbon panel, each Ogoh-ogoh presentation before the jury was preceded with a banner containing wishes for a happy Balinese New Year that announced the traditional belaganjur orchestra. The musicians accompanied a village dance troupe presenting a piece of original choreography, followed finally by the giant (Ogoh-ogoh) carried on the shoulders of tens of village youths that presented a scene or character from Balinese mythology.
As shown on balidiscovery.com, some evening snapshots of the Ogoh-ogoh celebrations in Benoa together with several day-time shots of more contemporary Ogoh-ogoh themes kindly provided by professional photographer Didi Lotze of [ www.roundshot360.de]
Selemat Hari Nyepi Caka 1928!
Determined not to miss the fun, Bali Update's editor, John M. Daniels, headed to the community of Benoa, surrounding Nusa Dua, to enjoy the parade of Papier Mâchè effigies that went on for hours.
Seeking to win honors as the best presentation as judged by a blue-ribbon panel, each Ogoh-ogoh presentation before the jury was preceded with a banner containing wishes for a happy Balinese New Year that announced the traditional belaganjur orchestra. The musicians accompanied a village dance troupe presenting a piece of original choreography, followed finally by the giant (Ogoh-ogoh) carried on the shoulders of tens of village youths that presented a scene or character from Balinese mythology.
As shown on balidiscovery.com, some evening snapshots of the Ogoh-ogoh celebrations in Benoa together with several day-time shots of more contemporary Ogoh-ogoh themes kindly provided by professional photographer Didi Lotze of [ www.roundshot360.de]
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© Bali Discovery Tours. Articles may be quoted and reproduced if attributed to http://www.balidiscovery.com. All images and graphics are copyright protected.
Keeping Nyepi's Peace and Quiet as Advertised Police Announce Special Security Precautions over Nyepi Holiday. Over 2,600 'Ogoh-ogoh" Floats Expected to Join Street Celebrations.
(3/29/2006) In anticipation of the traditional wild revelry that precede Bali's official day of quiet or Nyepi on March 30, 2006, the Bali police force have announced that approximately 7,000 personnel will be deployed to supervise the street celebrations set to take place across the island on the evening of March 29th.
Preliminary police estimates are that in excess of 2,600 ogoh-ogoh floats will be launched by local banjars or community centers in connection with the celebration of New Year's on the Balinese calendar. Ogoh-ogoh are brightly decorated floats depicting either mythical characters or, increasingly, pop celebrities that are carried through the streets on the shoulders of local youth often fueled on by the intoxicating effects of arak.
Operasi Ogoh-Ogoh Agung
Working closely with pecalang - civilian peace officers drawn from local banjars - the police have dubbed their peace-keeping effort Operasi Ogoh-Ogoh Agung, a name based on the large Papier Mâchè effigies that will be paraded through Bali's streets and villages on March 29, 2006.
Preliminary police estimates are that in excess of 2,600 ogoh-ogoh floats will be launched by local banjars or community centers in connection with the celebration of New Year's on the Balinese calendar. Ogoh-ogoh are brightly decorated floats depicting either mythical characters or, increasingly, pop celebrities that are carried through the streets on the shoulders of local youth often fueled on by the intoxicating effects of arak.
Operasi Ogoh-Ogoh Agung
Working closely with pecalang - civilian peace officers drawn from local banjars - the police have dubbed their peace-keeping effort Operasi Ogoh-Ogoh Agung, a name based on the large Papier Mâchè effigies that will be paraded through Bali's streets and villages on March 29, 2006.
© Bali Discovery Tours. Articles may be quoted and reproduced if attributed to http://www.balidiscovery.com. All images and graphics are copyright protected.
A Day of Silence Sealed with a Kiss
As Bali Prepares for the Official Day of Silence, Some are Worried that Bali will Soon be Compelled to 'Kiss Goodbye' to the Very Special Day that Follows.
(3/12/2006) It's official. Bali will celebrate Nyepi - Bali famous "official day of silence" starting from 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 30, 2006 and ending 24 hours later on Friday, March 31st.
Nyepi literally means Quiet!- at once both a label and strict imperative enforceable under the law - the name given to the day each year when it is the religious obligation of every Balinese Hindu to dedicate an entire day to quiet introspection and spiritual cleansing before embarking on a New Year in the Balinese lunar calendar.
What's On and What's Not!
An official circular issued by Bali's Governor stipulates that during the official period of silence:
⢠No lights may be lit
⢠No work can be done
⢠No travel may be undertaken
⢠No amusements enjoyed
On a practical level, this means that Nyepi will be observed by the devout through the abstinence from food and drink, human speech, and even the lighting of fires or lamps. As a result, Bali will resemble a ghost town with all businesses and thoroughfares closed. Traditional village security - pecalang - will patrol the Island permitting the passage of only emergency vehicles and sternly rebuking neighbors who allow noise or light to escape from family compounds.
Bali's Answer to Mardi Gras
Marking the first day of the Balinese Saka calendar (1928), the day of silence is always preceded by a night of wild revelry. During the evening hours, young men from local banjars, recklessly fueled by copious quantities of arak, parade the streets carrying large ogoh-ogoh floats: huge Papier Mâchè effigies lovingly constructed over the past month only to be consumed in flames or uncermoniously ditched on street corners as the young men scurry home to evade the day-light curfew and "quietly" nurse their horrendous hangovers.
By sunrise on March 30th all will be required to take refuge in their hotels or homes before sunrise - there to remain until the following morning. Major hotels, with the permission of the Island's government, generally allow their guests full use of their various outlets with the understanding that guests will not venture outside the property's grounds. To ensure services to guests are not interrupted, special arrangements are made for the hotel's staff to stay overnight at their place of employment as normal traffic between their homes and place of employment is impossible on Nyepi day.
Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport is closed throughout the designated 24-hour period. Flight are allowed to transit the airport on Nyepi, but no passengers will be permitted to enter or leave the terminal area until the holy day has passed. Special exemptions, however, are made for technical and emergency landings, as well as medical evacuations.
Kiss Me Ketut?
The residents of the village Banjar Kaja in South Denpasar must be worried that current legislation now being considered by National Legislators will mean that their unique ritual tradition of med-medan for celebrating the New Year may soon become a thing of the past.
Practices with roots clouded in the distant past, the members of Banjar Kaja always gather on the day immediately following Nyepi to engage in an activity that may soon become punishable by a fine and serious jail time. On that day, young boys and girls of that community gather on the local green; boys to the left, girls to the right, gradually advancing towards each other before breaking into a charge by both sexes culminating in an exchange kisses with the opposing gender. Tradition dictates that one charge of the lips brigade is seldom enough, mandating that relentless bussing occur in an area knowm locally as the kissing fields.Where med-medan started no one is sure. Where it ends is less a mystery; many married couples trace their "first contact" to a celebration of med-medan in years past. The proper and complete observance of the festival is mandatory for the youth of the Banjar who quickly abandon any residue of reticence in the face of stories of natural and personal disasters that have befallen those who failed to participate in the special ritual.
And, as with all special events in Bali, God's blessing is always sought first via a solemn procession to the community temple before undertaking the important task ahead. Prayers completed, the boys and girls then separate into two groups; there to pluck up their courage and pucker their lips for what follows.
Concerned parents, perhaps playing a role that will be assumed by policemen in the future, bring buckets of holy water to cool off the romantic ardor of their children accidentally overcome by the moment.
And Now for the Bad News
While spectators are generally welcome at all local cultural events in Bali, participation at med-medan is strictly limited to local lads and lasses in traditional dress.
Med-Medan traditionally takes place in the early afternoon on the day after Nyepi, this year on Friday, March 31, 2006, on Jalan Raya Sesetan in Banjar Kaja in South Denpasar.
Nyepi literally means Quiet!- at once both a label and strict imperative enforceable under the law - the name given to the day each year when it is the religious obligation of every Balinese Hindu to dedicate an entire day to quiet introspection and spiritual cleansing before embarking on a New Year in the Balinese lunar calendar.
What's On and What's Not!
An official circular issued by Bali's Governor stipulates that during the official period of silence:
⢠No lights may be lit
⢠No work can be done
⢠No travel may be undertaken
⢠No amusements enjoyed
On a practical level, this means that Nyepi will be observed by the devout through the abstinence from food and drink, human speech, and even the lighting of fires or lamps. As a result, Bali will resemble a ghost town with all businesses and thoroughfares closed. Traditional village security - pecalang - will patrol the Island permitting the passage of only emergency vehicles and sternly rebuking neighbors who allow noise or light to escape from family compounds.
Bali's Answer to Mardi Gras
Marking the first day of the Balinese Saka calendar (1928), the day of silence is always preceded by a night of wild revelry. During the evening hours, young men from local banjars, recklessly fueled by copious quantities of arak, parade the streets carrying large ogoh-ogoh floats: huge Papier Mâchè effigies lovingly constructed over the past month only to be consumed in flames or uncermoniously ditched on street corners as the young men scurry home to evade the day-light curfew and "quietly" nurse their horrendous hangovers.
By sunrise on March 30th all will be required to take refuge in their hotels or homes before sunrise - there to remain until the following morning. Major hotels, with the permission of the Island's government, generally allow their guests full use of their various outlets with the understanding that guests will not venture outside the property's grounds. To ensure services to guests are not interrupted, special arrangements are made for the hotel's staff to stay overnight at their place of employment as normal traffic between their homes and place of employment is impossible on Nyepi day.
Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport is closed throughout the designated 24-hour period. Flight are allowed to transit the airport on Nyepi, but no passengers will be permitted to enter or leave the terminal area until the holy day has passed. Special exemptions, however, are made for technical and emergency landings, as well as medical evacuations.
Kiss Me Ketut?
The residents of the village Banjar Kaja in South Denpasar must be worried that current legislation now being considered by National Legislators will mean that their unique ritual tradition of med-medan for celebrating the New Year may soon become a thing of the past.
Practices with roots clouded in the distant past, the members of Banjar Kaja always gather on the day immediately following Nyepi to engage in an activity that may soon become punishable by a fine and serious jail time. On that day, young boys and girls of that community gather on the local green; boys to the left, girls to the right, gradually advancing towards each other before breaking into a charge by both sexes culminating in an exchange kisses with the opposing gender. Tradition dictates that one charge of the lips brigade is seldom enough, mandating that relentless bussing occur in an area knowm locally as the kissing fields.Where med-medan started no one is sure. Where it ends is less a mystery; many married couples trace their "first contact" to a celebration of med-medan in years past. The proper and complete observance of the festival is mandatory for the youth of the Banjar who quickly abandon any residue of reticence in the face of stories of natural and personal disasters that have befallen those who failed to participate in the special ritual.
And, as with all special events in Bali, God's blessing is always sought first via a solemn procession to the community temple before undertaking the important task ahead. Prayers completed, the boys and girls then separate into two groups; there to pluck up their courage and pucker their lips for what follows.
Concerned parents, perhaps playing a role that will be assumed by policemen in the future, bring buckets of holy water to cool off the romantic ardor of their children accidentally overcome by the moment.
And Now for the Bad News
While spectators are generally welcome at all local cultural events in Bali, participation at med-medan is strictly limited to local lads and lasses in traditional dress.
Med-Medan traditionally takes place in the early afternoon on the day after Nyepi, this year on Friday, March 31, 2006, on Jalan Raya Sesetan in Banjar Kaja in South Denpasar.
Doing Something about the Weather and Tsunamis
Weather and Wave Detector Installed at Cross Channel Connection Point for Java and Bali. Tsumani Detectors for South Bali Set to Operate by Mid-year.
(3/20/2006) The channel connecting Bali and Java made a significant step forward in improving the standard of weather and seismographic reporting with the installation of an automatic weather system monitor (AWS) at Ketapang Harbor, near Banyuwangi, in East Java.
Able to instantly detect changes in wind, water and air temperature, current and wave height - the data recorded by the AWS is immediately accessible to ships and shipping companies. Maintained by the Department of Meteorology and Geophysics, the AWS forms part of a growing network of early warning systems being installed throughout Indonesia in the wake of the tsunami disaster of December 26, 2004.
Ketapang is the critical crossing point from Java to Bali with 22 ferries operating between the port and Gilimanuk in west Bali on a 24 hour basis.
Tsunami Detectors
6 separate Tsunami Early Warning Detectors for monitoring the sea approaches to Kuta, Nusa Dua, Sanur and Jembrana are expected to be operational by mid-2006.
According to the Chief of the Denpasar Meteorology and Geophysical Department, S. Budianto, "this equipment can automatically sound a siren warning in the event of a tsunami in as little as 5-10 minutes following an actual earthquake."
According to Budianto, while Bali does not have a history of suffering damage from tsunamis, there are numerous recorded incidents of large waves causing damage on the island's beaches and Bali's position near major geological fault lines could portend a future earthquake sending a tsunami that would touch Bali's shoreline.
Manufactured in France, the new Tsunami Early Warning Detection System are part of a nation-wide system being installed following the Boxing Day 2004 tsunami tragedy.
Positioned to protect Bali's most populous beaches, the warning devices will eventually have real-time connections to cellular telephones and the electronic media.
Able to instantly detect changes in wind, water and air temperature, current and wave height - the data recorded by the AWS is immediately accessible to ships and shipping companies. Maintained by the Department of Meteorology and Geophysics, the AWS forms part of a growing network of early warning systems being installed throughout Indonesia in the wake of the tsunami disaster of December 26, 2004.
Ketapang is the critical crossing point from Java to Bali with 22 ferries operating between the port and Gilimanuk in west Bali on a 24 hour basis.
Tsunami Detectors
6 separate Tsunami Early Warning Detectors for monitoring the sea approaches to Kuta, Nusa Dua, Sanur and Jembrana are expected to be operational by mid-2006.
According to the Chief of the Denpasar Meteorology and Geophysical Department, S. Budianto, "this equipment can automatically sound a siren warning in the event of a tsunami in as little as 5-10 minutes following an actual earthquake."
According to Budianto, while Bali does not have a history of suffering damage from tsunamis, there are numerous recorded incidents of large waves causing damage on the island's beaches and Bali's position near major geological fault lines could portend a future earthquake sending a tsunami that would touch Bali's shoreline.
Manufactured in France, the new Tsunami Early Warning Detection System are part of a nation-wide system being installed following the Boxing Day 2004 tsunami tragedy.
Positioned to protect Bali's most populous beaches, the warning devices will eventually have real-time connections to cellular telephones and the electronic media.
Tsunami Buoys Activated
Early Warning System for Tidal Waves Commences Operation with Installation of Two Seismic Buoys.
(11/19/2005) The first in a series of early-warning ocean buoys and ocean-bottom seismic sensors have been installed off the coast of West Sumatra that will provide shore-side residents of advance notice of the approach of life-threatening tsunami waves.
Two sets of early warning stations were activated near Sumatra on Tuesday, November 15, 2005, installed by a joint team of Indonesian and German scientists.
Quoted in the Jakarta Post Edi Prihantoro from the State Ministry of Research and Technology said: "The buoys will pick up and transmit data about sea tremors and pressure from the ocean sensor devices. This is part of the government's tsunami early warning system master plan (which runs) through early 2009."
When completed, the initial installation will see a total of 15 early warning systems in operation in various locations across Indonesia.
More than 130,000 people lost their lives in Indonesia's Aceh province as the result of the December 26, 2004, tsunami generated by a massive earthquake off the coast of West Sumatra.
Two sets of early warning stations were activated near Sumatra on Tuesday, November 15, 2005, installed by a joint team of Indonesian and German scientists.
Quoted in the Jakarta Post Edi Prihantoro from the State Ministry of Research and Technology said: "The buoys will pick up and transmit data about sea tremors and pressure from the ocean sensor devices. This is part of the government's tsunami early warning system master plan (which runs) through early 2009."
When completed, the initial installation will see a total of 15 early warning systems in operation in various locations across Indonesia.
More than 130,000 people lost their lives in Indonesia's Aceh province as the result of the December 26, 2004, tsunami generated by a massive earthquake off the coast of West Sumatra.
é Bali Discovery Tours. Articles may be quoted and reproduced if attributed to http://www.balidiscovery.com. All images and graphics are copyright protected.
Terrorizing the Terrorists
Indonesia Sees a Week in Which it Scores Important Advances in the Ongoing War on Terror.
(11/13/2005) Well coordinated police work in the wake of the October 1, 2005 Bali bombing yielded a number of significant advances last week in Indonesia's continuing war on international terrorism.
Catching the Bad Guys Off Guard
While Indonesian police continued to publicly maintain a dead end in their efforts to identify the 3 decapitated heads of the October 1st Bali bombing attacks, it is now apparent that a nationwide campaign to trace the identities of the bombers had, in fact, yielded positive results allowing police to trace the bombers, their families, and, most importantly, their known associates in the period just prior to their deaths.
Working the evidence chain in reverse, police from Indonesia's elite anti-terror squad placed a rented villa in the cool hills of East Java at Batu, near Malang, under discrete surveillance. A man leaving the villa last Wednesday morning was tailed across Java to an address in Semarang, Central Java. There, police arrested the man while at the same time failing to capture another man, later-identified as master-terrorist Malaysian Noordin M. Top, who made good his escape on a motorbike while engaging police in a dangerous street gun battle.
Meanwhile, the man who traveled from Batu to Semarang was placed under arrest by police who confiscated a bomb and extracted valuable information confirming that one of the most-wanted-terrorists in Southeast Asia, Malaysian Dr. Azahari, was hiding in the Batu residence, already under tight police surveillance.
With Noordin M. Top on the run, police wasted no time and launched a massive police raid on the Batu villa on Wednesday afternoon, November 9, 2005. Following an intense two hour armed siege in which a police officer was wounded, and with the corner fugitives refusing demands to surrender, a bomb wast detonated from inside the structure that virtually destroyed the rented residence and effectively put an end to the stand off. Inside, police later identified the remains of Dr. Azahari and an accomplice, Arman, a known bomb-maker also wanted by police.
Thus ended the final chapter in the life of Dr, Azahari, a man linked by police in a serial killing spree that included bombing raids at churches in 2001, the Bali bombings of 2002 and 2005, the Australian Embassy bombing, and the bombing of the Jakarta Marriott Hotel.
Untangling the Web of Terror
When police took control of the villa they removed the bodies of the two men, the components of 30 bombs, computers, detailed plans for future bombing attacks and firearms. Police also made the macabre discovery at the villa of video tapes containing the final testaments from the three Bali suicide bombers, therewith definitely linking Dr. Azahari and his organization with those attacks in Bali.
The successful raids and related arrests have provided police with numerous leads that will assist authorities in flushing out other terrorist from their strongholds. On Saturday, November 12, police working on new leads now in hand uncovered a store of firearms and bombs buried on agricultural lands near Madium, East Java.
High Praise from the President
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono praised the police for their success in capturing Azahari while calling on the authorities to redouble their effort to capture Noordin M. Top who shared leadership with Dr. Azahari of the terrorist network.
Dr. Azahari's Family Arrives in Jakarta
On Sunday, November 13, members of Dr. Azahari's family arrived at Jakarta to meet with Malaysian Embassy officials and begin the process that will eventually surrender the master-terrorist's remains to his family for final burial in Malaysia.
Ironically, in releasing Dr. Azahari's mortal remains to his family for a proper burial, Indonesia will be extending to the criminal's family a humane courtesy cruelly denied the families of the scores of victims he mutilated beyond recognition in his callous bombing attacks.
A Hostile Reception for 3 Bali Bombers at Nusa Kamabangan
Meanwhile, the three convicted Bali bombers - Amrozi, Imam Samudra and Ali Ghufron - all sentenced to death before a firing squad have reportedly received less than a cordial reception from other prisoners on Indonesia's notorious penal colony of Nusa Kambangan Island. Evacuated from Bali's jail to the high security prison following the October 1st bombing when authorities feared for their safety, local press report that the three were greeted by jeers and screamed death threats from other prisoners when they arrived at the facility. As a result, all three are being held in separate confinement away from the other prisoners at a facility often compared to France's Devil's Island.
Last week one of the convicted three bombers, Ali Gufron , sudddenly cut rank with his two fellow compatriots by declaring his intent to seek a final judicial review of his death sentence. Both Amrozi and Iman Samudra remain adamant in refusing to seek a legal review or request a pardon from the President, removing, at least for the pair, any final legal and procedural impediments before their final reckoning before an Indonesian firing squad.
Catching the Bad Guys Off Guard
While Indonesian police continued to publicly maintain a dead end in their efforts to identify the 3 decapitated heads of the October 1st Bali bombing attacks, it is now apparent that a nationwide campaign to trace the identities of the bombers had, in fact, yielded positive results allowing police to trace the bombers, their families, and, most importantly, their known associates in the period just prior to their deaths.
Working the evidence chain in reverse, police from Indonesia's elite anti-terror squad placed a rented villa in the cool hills of East Java at Batu, near Malang, under discrete surveillance. A man leaving the villa last Wednesday morning was tailed across Java to an address in Semarang, Central Java. There, police arrested the man while at the same time failing to capture another man, later-identified as master-terrorist Malaysian Noordin M. Top, who made good his escape on a motorbike while engaging police in a dangerous street gun battle.
Meanwhile, the man who traveled from Batu to Semarang was placed under arrest by police who confiscated a bomb and extracted valuable information confirming that one of the most-wanted-terrorists in Southeast Asia, Malaysian Dr. Azahari, was hiding in the Batu residence, already under tight police surveillance.
With Noordin M. Top on the run, police wasted no time and launched a massive police raid on the Batu villa on Wednesday afternoon, November 9, 2005. Following an intense two hour armed siege in which a police officer was wounded, and with the corner fugitives refusing demands to surrender, a bomb wast detonated from inside the structure that virtually destroyed the rented residence and effectively put an end to the stand off. Inside, police later identified the remains of Dr. Azahari and an accomplice, Arman, a known bomb-maker also wanted by police.
Thus ended the final chapter in the life of Dr, Azahari, a man linked by police in a serial killing spree that included bombing raids at churches in 2001, the Bali bombings of 2002 and 2005, the Australian Embassy bombing, and the bombing of the Jakarta Marriott Hotel.
Untangling the Web of Terror
When police took control of the villa they removed the bodies of the two men, the components of 30 bombs, computers, detailed plans for future bombing attacks and firearms. Police also made the macabre discovery at the villa of video tapes containing the final testaments from the three Bali suicide bombers, therewith definitely linking Dr. Azahari and his organization with those attacks in Bali.
The successful raids and related arrests have provided police with numerous leads that will assist authorities in flushing out other terrorist from their strongholds. On Saturday, November 12, police working on new leads now in hand uncovered a store of firearms and bombs buried on agricultural lands near Madium, East Java.
High Praise from the President
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono praised the police for their success in capturing Azahari while calling on the authorities to redouble their effort to capture Noordin M. Top who shared leadership with Dr. Azahari of the terrorist network.
Dr. Azahari's Family Arrives in Jakarta
On Sunday, November 13, members of Dr. Azahari's family arrived at Jakarta to meet with Malaysian Embassy officials and begin the process that will eventually surrender the master-terrorist's remains to his family for final burial in Malaysia.
Ironically, in releasing Dr. Azahari's mortal remains to his family for a proper burial, Indonesia will be extending to the criminal's family a humane courtesy cruelly denied the families of the scores of victims he mutilated beyond recognition in his callous bombing attacks.
A Hostile Reception for 3 Bali Bombers at Nusa Kamabangan
Meanwhile, the three convicted Bali bombers - Amrozi, Imam Samudra and Ali Ghufron - all sentenced to death before a firing squad have reportedly received less than a cordial reception from other prisoners on Indonesia's notorious penal colony of Nusa Kambangan Island. Evacuated from Bali's jail to the high security prison following the October 1st bombing when authorities feared for their safety, local press report that the three were greeted by jeers and screamed death threats from other prisoners when they arrived at the facility. As a result, all three are being held in separate confinement away from the other prisoners at a facility often compared to France's Devil's Island.
Last week one of the convicted three bombers, Ali Gufron , sudddenly cut rank with his two fellow compatriots by declaring his intent to seek a final judicial review of his death sentence. Both Amrozi and Iman Samudra remain adamant in refusing to seek a legal review or request a pardon from the President, removing, at least for the pair, any final legal and procedural impediments before their final reckoning before an Indonesian firing squad.
é Bali Discovery Tours. Articles may be quoted and reproduced if attributed to http://www.balidiscovery.com. All images and graphics are copyright protected.
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The Victory of Good Over Evil
Editorial: Days After Another Bomb Attack, Bali Marks 'Galungan' Recalling the Holiday's Celebration of the Triumph of Good Over Evil.
(10/9/2005) On Wednesday, October 5, 2005, - Buda Kliwon Dungulan on the Balinese calendar, the people of Bali paused in the midst of their grief surrounding recent events to celebrate Galungan - the day in the Hindu ritual cycle to remind that in the end, good shall always triumph over evil.
On that day, businesses closed as devout Balinese returned to their villages to offer prayers and offerings at ancestral temples. Across the island Penjor bamboo altar-poles decorate streets and doorways of every hamlet. Their looming presence proclaiming an ancient victory of Dharma over King Mayadanawa, an evil and godless king who once controlled Bali.
Ten days after Galungan, this year on October 15th, the Balinese undergo another important day of religious observance - Kuningan. While it is imprecise, it is illustrative to think of Galungan as something on the order of an All Saint's Day - the day when ancestral spirits make an annual visit to this earthly plane for a ten day period leading up to the second holy day of Kuningan. In preparation, ancestral temples are cleaned, special offerings are made, and dances presented to humor the hearts and bring contentment to those members of the family, now deceased, back for a brief reunion with family and friends.
In the Balinese view of the cosmos, this is a period in which every attempt must be made to accede to the three basic ordering principles of Balinese life - Tri Hita Kirana - the absolute need for balance to prevail in all matters between Man and Nature; Man and God; and Man and Man. Balinese-Hindu's will traditionally use this period to repudiate those negative elements in their persona - such as deceit, thievery, violence, anger and jealousy.
Galungan and the marking of Kuningan ten days later when ancestral spirits again take their leave of this earth, is a very special period when the people of Bali are on their very best behavior: every village bustles with musical and dance performances; streets are clogged with elegantly dressed families carrying huge mounds of breathtakingly beautiful offerings to nearby temples; and the Balinese feel a very special attachment with their families, friends and the island they love.
Bali Bombing October 1,2005ÃÂ A Bittersweet Irony of Timing
Such is the high regard for which the Balinese hold this time of year that death itself, when it occurs in close proximity to these holidays is considered unclean, often mandating a quick burial and the postponement of normally elaborate burial ceremonies until more propitious period on the Balinese calendar.
Knowing the special regard for which the Balinese hold their celebration of Galungan and Kuningan, prompts the question of whether the decision to bomb three Bali dining venues just 4 days before this very important Bali-Hindu religious cycle was purely coincidental or just another cynical component of evil minds determined to defile this precious island?
Whichever planning scenario you choose, it's safe to conclude that the timing of the latest Bali bombing attack will eventually prove but yet another miscalculation by the perpretrators of the evil attack. Coincidental or purposely planned, early indications are that the close proximity of these important holy days has only served to once again frustrate any plans by the terrorists to foment internecine violence among religious and racial groups in Bali. The Balinese are staying true to character and, as demonstrated following the 2002 bombing, refusing to snap at any proffered bait for widespread civil insurrection.
As was the case three years before - numerous prayers, offerings and commemoration ceremonies are planned over the coming days and weeks whichÃÂ almost without exceptioÃÂ will include representatives of every faith and race as active participants, shoulder to shoudler with their island neighbors.
At the same time it might prove fundamentally incorrect to interpret Bali's spiritually introspective reaction to the latest round of violence as some form of sublime docility. That the evil men behind the attacks ÃÂ purposely or inadvertently ÃÂ chose to pollute this hallowed period on the Balinese calendar with blood, death and violence is a fact not lost on the Balinese. Those behind the outrage must and will be brought to justice.
For, as any Balinese will tell you, good must ultimately triumph over evil.
On that day, businesses closed as devout Balinese returned to their villages to offer prayers and offerings at ancestral temples. Across the island Penjor bamboo altar-poles decorate streets and doorways of every hamlet. Their looming presence proclaiming an ancient victory of Dharma over King Mayadanawa, an evil and godless king who once controlled Bali.
Ten days after Galungan, this year on October 15th, the Balinese undergo another important day of religious observance - Kuningan. While it is imprecise, it is illustrative to think of Galungan as something on the order of an All Saint's Day - the day when ancestral spirits make an annual visit to this earthly plane for a ten day period leading up to the second holy day of Kuningan. In preparation, ancestral temples are cleaned, special offerings are made, and dances presented to humor the hearts and bring contentment to those members of the family, now deceased, back for a brief reunion with family and friends.
In the Balinese view of the cosmos, this is a period in which every attempt must be made to accede to the three basic ordering principles of Balinese life - Tri Hita Kirana - the absolute need for balance to prevail in all matters between Man and Nature; Man and God; and Man and Man. Balinese-Hindu's will traditionally use this period to repudiate those negative elements in their persona - such as deceit, thievery, violence, anger and jealousy.
Galungan and the marking of Kuningan ten days later when ancestral spirits again take their leave of this earth, is a very special period when the people of Bali are on their very best behavior: every village bustles with musical and dance performances; streets are clogged with elegantly dressed families carrying huge mounds of breathtakingly beautiful offerings to nearby temples; and the Balinese feel a very special attachment with their families, friends and the island they love.
Bali Bombing October 1,2005ÃÂ A Bittersweet Irony of Timing
Such is the high regard for which the Balinese hold this time of year that death itself, when it occurs in close proximity to these holidays is considered unclean, often mandating a quick burial and the postponement of normally elaborate burial ceremonies until more propitious period on the Balinese calendar.
Knowing the special regard for which the Balinese hold their celebration of Galungan and Kuningan, prompts the question of whether the decision to bomb three Bali dining venues just 4 days before this very important Bali-Hindu religious cycle was purely coincidental or just another cynical component of evil minds determined to defile this precious island?
Whichever planning scenario you choose, it's safe to conclude that the timing of the latest Bali bombing attack will eventually prove but yet another miscalculation by the perpretrators of the evil attack. Coincidental or purposely planned, early indications are that the close proximity of these important holy days has only served to once again frustrate any plans by the terrorists to foment internecine violence among religious and racial groups in Bali. The Balinese are staying true to character and, as demonstrated following the 2002 bombing, refusing to snap at any proffered bait for widespread civil insurrection.
As was the case three years before - numerous prayers, offerings and commemoration ceremonies are planned over the coming days and weeks whichÃÂ almost without exceptioÃÂ will include representatives of every faith and race as active participants, shoulder to shoudler with their island neighbors.
At the same time it might prove fundamentally incorrect to interpret Bali's spiritually introspective reaction to the latest round of violence as some form of sublime docility. That the evil men behind the attacks ÃÂ purposely or inadvertently ÃÂ chose to pollute this hallowed period on the Balinese calendar with blood, death and violence is a fact not lost on the Balinese. Those behind the outrage must and will be brought to justice.
For, as any Balinese will tell you, good must ultimately triumph over evil.
é Bali Discovery Tours. Articles may be quoted and reproduced if attributed to http://www.balidiscovery.com. All images and graphics are copyright protected.
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