From the Jakarta Post today....
Ary Hermawan, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar
The Bali Police have responded coolly to the latest travel advisory from Australia, pouring cold water on its suggestion that it is not safe to travel to the resort island.
The warning advised that terror attacks in Indonesia were "imminent", but a senior Bali Police officer said the island's security was suitable and would not be tightened in reaction to the notice.
"We do not work according to travel warnings issued by other countries. We have our own security management, which is comprehensive and sustainable in nature," deputy chief Brig. Gen. Nyoman Gede Suweta told reporters Monday.
"Based on our latest evaluations, the security situation on the island is conducive. And we hope that God, in his grace, will help us to keep the island safe," Suweta said, adding that the police had not yet decided if the number of security personnel needed to be increased at tourist attractions and other areas frequented by foreigners, such as the airport.
"If our later assessment requires us to deploy more personnel at specific locations, we will do it," he said.
Nyoman said that the police will continue to cooperate with local administrations to improve the monitoring system regarding visitors living in rented rooms, which were used by terrorists plotting the previous attacks on the island.
"We will also tighten the security in Ngurah Rai airport with the placement of x-ray gates," he said.
Bali suffered two deadly terrorist attacks, one in Kuta in 2002 and one in Legian in 2005, killing hundreds of people, including foreigners, most of whom were Australians. Despite the latest travel warning, tourists were still to be seen on the island on Monday.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported Monday that Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer had said the warning of possible terrorist attacks in the final stages of planning in Indonesia was based on intercepted militant communications.
"We don't have any information designating a specific target or for that matter a specific time of a terrorist attack, but we have a constant flow of information about possible terrorist activity in Indonesia," Downer told Australian radio.
In an upgraded travel advisory at the weekend, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said terrorists were actively planning attacks that could take place at any time, including on the holiday island of Bali.
In a separate development, AFP reported from Wellington that New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark would go ahead with an official visit to Indonesia this month despite Australian warnings of a heightened security risk. She will also travel to Malaysia.
Clark's own government has also issued an advisory for New Zealanders to defer tourist travel to Indonesia.
Asked today whether she had reviewed her security or thought about delaying her trip because of the Australian advice, Clark said she had not.
She had not seen Howard's warning but she said the Australian and New Zealand advisories about traveling to Indonesia were comparable.
"Australia has updated its commentary but in essence we give the same advice with respect to non-essential and tourist travel and our advice on that really hasn't changed since the Bali bombing in 2002."
Clark said New Zealand police worked with authorities in Indonesia on security matters and she had confidence in those arrangements as far as her own travel went.