October 22, 2002
Canberra, Australia
For Australian Prime Minister John Howard, he'd had better times. Much better times. Australia as a nation was absolutely furious, and he was now starting to take heat.
Just ten days before, terrorists had pulled a triple attack on the most popular holiday resort in Southeast Asia, Bali. More than 400 were dead, over half of those were Indonesian citizens. The terrorists had of course been aiming at Westerners, as they usually did. But Australian investigators had by that time found out something else - Indonesian military involvement.
A commander on the island of Bali had supplied high-grade explosive to the bombers, and they had merely used this material to make two massive car bombs based on other fuels. The investigation had seen four investigators disappear without a trace, and by now rumors had fueled the entire nation into a rage. The columns of that day's newspapers pointed to that rogue commander as proof of Indonesian government involvement. Jakarta and Canberra had both claimed that the government had nothing to do with the attacks.
The problem was that few Australians believed that, true as it was.
219 Australians, along with 40 Brits and 23 Americans, among others, had been pulled from the mess at Kuta Beach, and the media was furious, saying that this was Indonesia's retaliation for Australia's role in liberating East Timor in 1999, which had nearly driven Australia to war then.
Several of Howard's own ministers were now agitating for Australian military action. Members of several right-wing Australian political parties too were agitating for action.
John had to make his decision, and make it fast.....
Jakarta, Indonesia
For Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, things were just plain ugly. Indonesia was facing what looked like a military conflict because of the actions of Islamic terrorists - hardly a year after 9/11 and the invasion of Afghanistan. Indonesia was the most populous Islamic country on the planet, but it had for a long time kept its angry Islamists under control.
Jakarta had of course had no part in the attacks on Bali - the country had suffered three decades of tyrannical rule and that memory was still fresh in their minds. They hadn't been happy when East Timor broke away, but facing the reality at hand with it, they really didn't have much of a choice.
But now one commander, furious at Indonesia's supposed loss of face, had actively supported a horrific terrorist act - and killed so many. Australia was as angry as she had ever seen them be, even including the days of Suharto and after Indonesia had invaded the first time in 1975.
And now, the Australian newspapers were aching for Australia to declare war on Indonesia - over a bunch of Islamists! And nothing Indonesia could say or do, it seemed, could lower the fury of the Aussies.
So, Sukarnoputri had to face a nasty reality - all that stood between war and peace was John Howard, a man she personally despised. And with the froth almost brewing from the mouths of the Australians, it looked like a new front in the war on terror in Indonesia was a real possibility......
To be continued.....
Canberra, Australia
For Australian Prime Minister John Howard, he'd had better times. Much better times. Australia as a nation was absolutely furious, and he was now starting to take heat.
Just ten days before, terrorists had pulled a triple attack on the most popular holiday resort in Southeast Asia, Bali. More than 400 were dead, over half of those were Indonesian citizens. The terrorists had of course been aiming at Westerners, as they usually did. But Australian investigators had by that time found out something else - Indonesian military involvement.
A commander on the island of Bali had supplied high-grade explosive to the bombers, and they had merely used this material to make two massive car bombs based on other fuels. The investigation had seen four investigators disappear without a trace, and by now rumors had fueled the entire nation into a rage. The columns of that day's newspapers pointed to that rogue commander as proof of Indonesian government involvement. Jakarta and Canberra had both claimed that the government had nothing to do with the attacks.
The problem was that few Australians believed that, true as it was.
219 Australians, along with 40 Brits and 23 Americans, among others, had been pulled from the mess at Kuta Beach, and the media was furious, saying that this was Indonesia's retaliation for Australia's role in liberating East Timor in 1999, which had nearly driven Australia to war then.
Several of Howard's own ministers were now agitating for Australian military action. Members of several right-wing Australian political parties too were agitating for action.
John had to make his decision, and make it fast.....
Jakarta, Indonesia
For Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, things were just plain ugly. Indonesia was facing what looked like a military conflict because of the actions of Islamic terrorists - hardly a year after 9/11 and the invasion of Afghanistan. Indonesia was the most populous Islamic country on the planet, but it had for a long time kept its angry Islamists under control.
Jakarta had of course had no part in the attacks on Bali - the country had suffered three decades of tyrannical rule and that memory was still fresh in their minds. They hadn't been happy when East Timor broke away, but facing the reality at hand with it, they really didn't have much of a choice.
But now one commander, furious at Indonesia's supposed loss of face, had actively supported a horrific terrorist act - and killed so many. Australia was as angry as she had ever seen them be, even including the days of Suharto and after Indonesia had invaded the first time in 1975.
And now, the Australian newspapers were aching for Australia to declare war on Indonesia - over a bunch of Islamists! And nothing Indonesia could say or do, it seemed, could lower the fury of the Aussies.
So, Sukarnoputri had to face a nasty reality - all that stood between war and peace was John Howard, a man she personally despised. And with the froth almost brewing from the mouths of the Australians, it looked like a new front in the war on terror in Indonesia was a real possibility......
To be continued.....