Indonesian investigators searching for links between the Bali bomb blasts and the al-Qaeda network were interrogating two Indonesians yesterday.
They had also found traces of C-4 plastic explosives at the site of the weekend explosion that killed more than 180 people in a strip of bars packed with young foreigners on Kuta Beach, the national police chief said.
In Bali, an ashen-faced Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and Justice Minister Chris Ellison walked past the mangled wreckage of the Sari Club, which took the brunt of the explosion and fire that followed.
Downer carried a large bouquet of flowers and Ellison a traditional Balinese wreath.
Australians account for the largest single group of victims, with 22 confirmed dead and 160 missing.
"We are interrogating two people intensively," police chief Da'i Bachtiar told reporters, adding that both were Indonesians. One, he said "was present when the incident occurred."
He said the other person was related to someone whose identification card had been found at the blast site but who had not been located. He gave no further details.
Bachtiar also said investigators in Bali had questioned a witness at Paddy's bar, situated across the road from the Sari, who saw a man placing a white plastic bag at the scene.
"When he walked up to the man, he ran away and afterwards the place exploded," Bachtiar said.
Police and witnesses have described a small blast at Paddy's followed by a much larger explosion, possibly a car bomb, outside Sari's. Bachtiar said the larger blast appeared to have been caused by plastic explosives.
Conflicting information emerged about a group of 10 Pakistanis. Some police reports said the group, apparently licensed to conduct religious activities on Bali, had been held for questioning after the blasts. Others said they had been quizzed before the explosions and were now being more closely monitored. It was not even clear whether the 10 were still on Bali.
None of the reports indicated any evidence that the group was connected to the atrocity.
Agents from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and Australian federal police are helping search for clues. Officers from Britain's Scotland Yard are expected to join them along with others from Japan and Germany.
A US intelligence official said the bombings pointed to a "sophisticated" terrorist group because of the large amount of high explosives used and the coordinated attacks.
Diplomats were watching for any moves against Jemaah Islamiah. Southeast Asian nations have rounded up scores of its members and warned others have gone to ground in Indonesia. Several countries' intelligence agencies tie Jemaah Islamiah to regional terrorism and link it to al-Qaeda.
Meanwhile, the leader of another group, Laskar Jihad, the most prominent face of militant Islam in Indonesia, said that his organization had disbanded.
Jafar Umar Thalib denied the move was linked to the Bali bombings. He said the group made the decision to close and bring home its fighters from the Moluccas islands on Oct. 7, days before the Bali explosions.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
PREPARATION: Ferry lines and flights were canceled ahead of only the second storm to hit the nation in November, while many areas canceled classes and work Authorities yesterday evacuated more than 3,000 people ahead of approaching Tropical Storm Fung-wong, which is expected to make landfall between Kaohsiung and Pingtung County this evening. Fung-wong was yesterday morning downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it approached the nation’s southwest coast, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, as it issued a land alert for the storm. The alert applies to residents in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春). As of press time last night, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Yilan, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Pingtung and Penghu counties, as well as Chiayi city and county had
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday issued a sea alert for Typhoon Fung-wong (鳳凰) as it threatened vessels operating in waters off the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島), the Bashi Channel and south of the Taiwan Strait. A land alert is expected to be announced some time between late last night and early this morning, the CWA said. As of press time last night, Taoyuan, as well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties had declared today a typhoon day, canceling work and classes. Except for a few select districts in Taipei and New Taipei City, all other areas and city
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