Country would not be cowed by terror - Indonesian President

INDONESIA: Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono sent a message of defiance Thursday to the perpetrators of last week’s deadly suicide attacks in Jakarta, saying the country would not be cowed by terror.

The president said the mainly Muslim archipelago must remain vigilant against further attacks after suicide bombers killed seven people at the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels last Friday.

“I’m sure we will find these perpetrators of terror. We’ll also recover the national situation,” he told reporters at Jakarta’s international airport, referring to four years of growth and stability since the last major attack.

“As a nation we cannot be defeated by terrorism.”

Three Australians, an Indonesian and a New Zealander have been confirmed killed in the blasts, which also injured 53 people.

Two Dutch tourists are also believed to have been killed, as well as the two suicide bombers.

Police have not publicly named any suspects, but senior counter-terrorism officials have said the attacks are the suspected work of Islamist fanatics linked to the Jemaah Islamiyah regional terror network.

Yudhoyono said security had to be tightened across the mainly Muslim country of 234 million people, which has been hit by dozens of terror bombings over the past decade including the 2002 Bali attack that killed 202 people.

“Everybody has to be screened thoroughly. Even when I travel... my bag is being checked as well,” he said.

It was only the second time Yudhoyono, a soft-spoken ex-general who was re-elected in a landslide earlier this month, has commented on the attacks, the first to hit Indonesia since 2005.

In an address to the nation on the night of the bombings, he was criticised for apparently linking the blasts to domestic politics and his election rivals.

He made no comment Thursday about whom he believed was behind the latest bombings. Jakarta, Thursday, AFP