3 Dead In Australian Embassy Blast

[cappie]

NSW policeman's daughter critically hurt
September 10, 2004 - 12:49PM


The father of an Australian girl critically wounded in the Jakarta embassy bombing was today flying to Singapore to be at her bedside as she is treated for her injuries.

Five-year-old Elisabeth Manuela Bambina Musu - affectionately known as Manny - is being evacuated to Singapore after being seriously hurt in the blast which killed her mother as they stood together yesterday outside the embassy in the Indonesian capital.

She had been about to pick up her Australian passport after becoming a citizen on September 1.

The girl's father, Sydney police officer Dave Norman, was today flying to Singapore with his mother and said his priority was to be with his daughter.

Elisabeth today regained consciousness in a Jakarta hospital but relatives said she still did not know the bomb had killed her mother, 27-year-old Maria Eva Kumalawati, one of nine to die in the explosion.

Constable Norman today thanked the public for the messages of condolence over the death of his partner.

The Australian Federal Police has organised flights and accommodation for him in Singapore and the NSW Police Association has provided him with expense money.


A spokeswoman said he was taking his mother with him for support.

``I appreciate the thoughts and well-wishes from members of the public across NSW and Australia during this extremely traumatic time,'' Const Norman said in a statement.

``My focus is on getting on a plane as quickly as possible so I can be at the bedside of my daughter, Manny, to ensure she gets all the love and care she needs.

``On behalf of Maria's family in Indonesia, I also want to thank people for their thoughts in the hours following her death.

``I ask that members of the public and media please respect my privacy and give my family the space we need to grieve for my partner, Maria.''

Maria and Elisabeth were together outside the embassy when the blast struck, wrecking the perimeter fence of the mission and causing carnage in the street outside. About 180 people were injured.

Elisabeth's injuries were so bad it was initially thought she was dead, but once it was realised she was still alive, she was given emergency treatment on the scene.

Her uncle today said she had injuries to her stomach but had regained consciousness overnight.

``She's all right now. She can open her eyes and can communicate,'' said Budi Anto, speaking at the central Jakarta hospital where she was taken yesterday.

``But she hasn't found out about her mother yet.''

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the girl was being medically evacuated to Singapore today for further treatment.

Police Association president Bob Pritchard said Const Norman was receiving all the help needed.

``We've made arrangements to get him to Singapore - the AFP has lined that up for us,'' he said.

``We're obviously supplying him with some assistance while he's over there.''

[MorphRC]

[url="http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,10720557%255E910,00.html"]http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/commo...255E910,00.html[/url]

MASSIVE car bomb attack on the Australian embassy in the centre of Jakarta has brought the war against terror to Australian soil.

Just two days before the third anniversary of September 11 and almost two weeks into the election campaign, terrorists have sent a deadly message to the Australian people – we are again a target for terrorism.

The bomb, which exploded at 10.15am in Jakarta, flattened the Australian embassy's front gate, mangled cars and motorbikes on the street, left a 3m-deep, 30m-wide crater in the road and shattered hundreds of windows in high-rise buildings overlooking it.

At least 11 Indonesians died, including a young girl, and 168 were injured by the blast. All of the embassy staff were accounted for, with only minor injuries reported.

The victims of the terrorists were innocent Indonesian Muslims.

Survivors and passers-by witnessed grisly scenes as security officers covered the bodies of victims ripped apart by the blast with newspapers while others picked up dismembered body parts strewn randomly across the road.

Fortunately it was mid-morning on Jalan Rasuna Said in the upmarket diplomatic district of Kuningan, so the street outside the compound was not as packed as at other times of the day.

It is believed four police officers, an embassy guard and embassy gardeners and civilians are among the dead. The open nature of the area also meant the blast was not concentrated but it was powerful enough to shatter every window in a high-rise building 300m away and shake some several kilometres away.

The blast produced a plume of smoke at least 400m high and was heard 15km away. It destroyed at least 10 cars, two motorcycles and two Metromini minibuses.

Despite the efforts of dozens of Australian and Indonesian police and spies, plus millions of dollars worth of high-tech spying equipment, the terrorists slipped through the net.

It is virtually impossible for vehicles to enter the embassy compound. The embassy, one of the best-protected missions anywhere in the world, has had significant security upgrades in the past year.

The bomb exploded about 4m from the fortified steel gates of the high-security compound – the biggest Australian embassy in the world – and left the perimeter fence a twisted ruin.

Prime Minister John Howard said tight security at the embassy had saved Australian lives. He also expressed his "utter dismay" at the attack.

"This is not a nation that is going to be intimidated by acts of terrorism," Mr Howard said. "I do want to assure the Australian community that our vigilance against any potential terrorist threats remain absolute and everything will be done to ensure that such incidents do not occur in our country."

Opposition Leader Mark Latham paused from campaigning in Cairns to declare the terrorists as "evil and barbaric" and must be hunted down.

"The terrorists responsible for this attack are evil and barbaric and must be dealt with as harshly as possible," Mr Latham said.

The Australian Federal Police had been worried about a possible attack by Jemaah Islamiyah during the Australian election period.

Such was the concern about a terrorist attack, Australian diplomats shifted their annual charity ball from the JW Marriott Hotel – the same one that was bombed last year – to the high-security embassy with just a day's notice last week. It is too early to speculate about whether or not this attack was timed to coincide with Australia's upcoming election.

It also is possible that the bomb was aimed at the next round of Indonesia's presidential elections later this month.

Al-Qaida undertook a strategic and highly successful attack in Madrid during Spain's election campaign in March this year, which played a major role in changing the Spanish government.

The prime suspect for the Jakarta bomb blast is Jemaah Islamiyah, the same group of al-Qaida-linked militants implicated in the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings and an attack last year on the nearby JW Marriott Hotel in which 12 people died. Yesterday's explosion was much bigger than the Marriott attack.

JI's bombmaker Dr Azahari Husin – who spent time studying at university in Adelaide – has been on the run since the Bali bombings and is number one on the wanted list for this attack.

Malaysian authorities believe the timing of the attack may be linked to Indonesia's decision this month to file terror charges against JI's reputed leader, militant cleric Abu Bakar Bashir.

The government is drafting charges against Bashir on suspicion of ordering the Marriott attack.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who flew to Jakarta last night, said there was "no question" the attack was aimed at the Australian Embassy and it was "clearly a terrorist attack".

Terrorism expert Clive Williams said if the attack was a suicide bomber then it would almost certainly be the work of JI. Al-Qaida leaders have ordered their followers to attack Australians in Indonesia.

"We are now regarded as a reasonable target," Mr Williams said.

[MorphRC]

I hope we get those Cruise Missiles!

[MorphRC]

[quote]The Lame, Annoying and Worthless Time Wasting Board[/quote]

How kind. I wonder what the victims and families would think of someone believing this about such a murderous act..

[Apotheoun]

I pray for all those who were killed and injured, and for their families. Hearing of these terrible attacks reminds me of that horrible day when thousands of innocent people died in the collapse of the World Trade Center.

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='MorphRC' date='Sep 14 2004, 01:18 AM']
How kind. I wonder what the victims and families would think of someone believing this about such a murderous act.. [/quote]

Morph, please don't make any more sarcastic or backhanded commentary.

[MorphRC]

Im not. I meant that. Im disgusted to why this was placed here. Its disrespectful.

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='MorphRC' date='Sep 14 2004, 02:19 AM'] Im not. I meant that. Im disgusted to why this was placed here. Its disrespectful. [/quote]
Then come out and say it plainly. There is no need for the sarcastic tone you used.

[MorphRC]

[quote name='Raphael' date='Sep 15 2004, 02:34 AM'] Then come out and say it plainly. There is no need for the sarcastic tone you used. [/quote]
Yet again.

I wasnt being sarcastic. If you want sarcastic, I can give you sarcastic.

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='MorphRC' date='Sep 14 2004, 01:18 AM'] How kind. I wonder what the victims and families would think of someone believing this about such a murderous act.. [/quote]
No, this is a sarcastic remark made specifically with phrases like "how kind" and "I wonder" in an attempt to wrap it up in a neat sarcastic little package with apparent niceties and projected distance from the issue, relatively speaking, even though it is obviously an assault on the judgment of a Phatmass moderator who saw in this thread the potential to get nasty, as you have shown with the very post to which I am pointing you. This moderator was not saying what you imply, but merely moving a post that was not especially relevant, or had a likelihood of becoming irrelevant, from her phorum.

If you have an issue with it, take it up with her directly, but do not make grumpy statements designed to evoke frustration or anger.

[MorphRC]

Stop seeing things, where they dont exist.

IT WASNT A SARCASTIC COMMENT! IT WAS A REAL COMMENT. I Know what I say and what I mean!

Edited September 14, 2004 by MorphRC