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DENPASAR, Indonesia, Thursday (AFP) Foreign tourists are a threat to Indonesia's future and violence is the only language they understand, a leading suspect in the deadly bombings on the resort island of Bali said Thursday.

Amrozi, replying to questioning by judges at his trial, said he and his fellow bombers strengthened their resolution to bomb Americans and their allies in Bali after visiting the island early in September.

He made no distinction between Americans and their allies and other "bule" (white men) but said he believed the presence of those foreigners in Bali threatens the religion, the lives, the dignity, the progeny and the properties of Indonesians.

"Their arrival here will destroy all this," he told the court.

Westerners represented the bulk of the victims in the two nightspot blasts last October 12 that killed 202 people from 21 countries.

"For us, the principle is that it is impossible to shoo them out of Indonesia using the language of diplomacy. Their only language is clearly the language of violence," said Amrozi, a village mechanic who did not finish high school. He said violence was the only language of "those bules."

"There is no other way but that of violence."

Amrozi, 40, said the plan to bomb targets in Bali was crystallised "officially after Imam (Samudra) came here" and "after we made the visit here."

Samudra was already in Bali when Amrozi and other members of his group including Dulmatin, Mubarok and his younger brother Ali Imron, arrived. They met at a house rented by other members of the group. Samudra, Amrozi and other key suspects face death if convicted on terrorism charges.

Amrozi is accused of attending several planning sessions for the bombings, buying one tonne of explosive material and the van used to carry one of the bombs, and sending or taking them to Bali.

Prosecutors say Samudra, 33, masterminded the bombings, picked the targets and assigned Amrozi to buy the explosive chemicals and the van.

Amrozi said he initially bought the van with the intention of reselling it. He said he later received a telephone text message from another suspect, Dulmatin, who asked him to prepare it for the bombing. More than 30 suspects will eventually face trial over the October bombings, the worst terrorist attack since September 11, 2001, in the United States.

Police say the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terror group carried out the blasts to strike at Westerners in revenge for injustices to Muslims worldwide. Judges at another series of trials in Denpasar are scheduled later Thursday to rule on whether the trial of four acolytes of Samudra - accused of assisting acts of terrorism and staging a robbery to raise funds for Bali - should continue.

At Makassar in South Sulawesi, the trial began of another seven defendants over the bombing of a McDonald's outlet and a car showroom in that city last December. Three people including the bomber were killed in the McDonald's blast.

On Monday the trial began of six Makassar defendants. They are accused of acts of terrorism punishable by death.

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