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Bali steps up security ahead of bombers' executions

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-11-03 10:19

DENPASAR, Indonesia -- Police on the Indonesian resort island of Bali said security has been stepped up in tourist areas as the execution of the three Bali bombers appears to be imminent.

A sign with a picture of Bali bomber Imam Samudra is stuck on the door of his mother's residence as Lulu Jamaludin, his brother, makes a call in Serang, Banten province November 1, 2008. Indonesia will execute three Islamist militants convicted of the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people in early November, a government official said in late October. [Agencies]

Imam Samudra, 38, Mukhlas, 48, and Amrozi, 46, three Muslim militants from the group Jemaah Islamiah, were sentenced to death for their role in bomb attacks on two nightclubs in Kuta in 2002 which killed 202 people, including Indonesians and foreign tourists.

On Saturday, the Attorney General's office said that the execution time for the three men, who have been on death row since 2003, was "very close".

Major hotels in Jakarta already have fairly tight security, and there were few signs of increased security over the weekend.

Related readings:  Bali bombers to be executed in early Nov  Bali bombings remembered six years later  Extremist network Jemaah Islamiyah planned to bomb Bali memorial service  Accused Bali bomb mastermind welcomes death penalty

But security has been increased in some parts of the country, including Bali and parts of the main island of Java, particularly around the prison where the Bali bombers are being held.

"We have increased the security in the main tourists sites like Kuta, Sanur and Nusa Dua," said Sri Harmiti, spokeswoman for the Bali police, adding that police are carrying out checks of cars and motorbikes, and have stepped up security in the ports.

About 3,000 police, including dog handlers, bomb experts and traffic police are involved in the security operation on Bali.

"Security is a big problem in the world. But here I feel safe," said Marion Archer, a French tourist in Sanur, Bali.

"I'm protected with good security now in Bali," she said.

The bomb blasts dealt a severe blow to the tourist industry of Bali which is predominantly Hindu. Of the 202 people killed in the bombings, 88 were Australians.

Jemaah Islamiah, which wanted to create a Southeast Asian caliphate, was responsible for several bomb attacks in Bali as well as the capital, Jakarta.

Wayan Suwirya, an assistant security manager at the Hard Rock Hotel in Bali and a Kuta resident, said that it was business as usual, and not just in anticipation of the executions.

Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith on Sunday urged Australians to reconsider travel plans to Indonesia because of concerns about reprisals from supporters of the Bali bombers.

However, security analysts such as Sidney Jones of International Crisis Group, have said it is unlikely that the executions would spark another bomb attack as Jemaah Islamiah has been severely weakened.

Instead, she said it was more likely that supporters of the Bali bombers could get violent and attack police or government offices during the funerals for the three men.