In Reply to: Why? posted by Hammockman on Tuesday, 4. November 2008 at 19:59 Bali Time:
what has really changed? during special events and at certain times there is an increased presence of security in Bali (Police). But they still take bribes, still pick on locals if they can make a $$.
Sure Hotels have a "security guard" - token attempt at giving the impression of security...
Cars can still drive up JL. Legian without being checked or scanned. And the place is now more busy than before the 2002 disaster, only positive is that the "clubs" haven't done a Sari club and denied access to locals, but the area is busier than ever.
It is still easy to get to Bali from East Java (etc) without Cargo being checked or scanned.
So really you are just left with three elements... The desire, the people and the equipment.
There has been two serious attempts of Terrorism in Bali in the last 6 years with two successes. Noone could have forseen either event as Bali seemed to be a safe, enjoyable place, even for those concerned right up until the events themselves.
People need to be aware of the risks and make up their own mind.
Saying things are safe or are not safe don't mean a hell of a lot cause the fact remains that Bali is and will remain a serious target for Indonesian based extremists because of the place it is...