Fed: Govenrment issues strong travel warning for Jakarta
By Max Blenkin and Rob Taylor
CANBERRA, Aug 13 AAP - Australia today announced its strongest travel warning for Indonesiaas Prime Minister John Howard said Australians must brace themselves for the possibilityof another terrorist attack.
The government urged Australians not to travel to Indonesia unless absolutely necessaryand if they went they should avoid top international hotels in the capital of Jakarta.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the advice was based on new intelligence andfollowed last week's suicide bombing at Jakarta's Marriott Hotel, which killed 11 peopleand wounded 150.
Mr Downer said soft targets such as shopping centres and western businesses were also at risk.
"I strongly recommend that Australians in Indonesia, particularly those in Jakarta,closely heed this advice," he said.
The Marriott bombing has been blamed on the al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah terrorist network.
Mr Downer said he would not name the Jakarta hotels at risk as that would simply causetourists to move to other accommodation, creating an even narrower range of targets.
"We have particular concerns at this time in relation to these so-called soft targetsin Jakarta. I am not going into the intelligence in any greater detail," he said.
The head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) Dennis Richardsonwarned yesterday that it was only a matter of time before there was another catastrophicterrorist attack.
Mr Howard today warned that Australians must brace themselves for that possibility.
"We will do everything we can to stop it occurring but I can't promise any guaranteethat it won't occur," he said on Sky Television.
"I can only promise and guarantee that we'll do everything we humanly can to stop it happening."
The government today ordered a review of aviation security to ensure it could meetcurrent and future security threats.
Transport Minister John Anderson said airline security had been significantly tightenedfollowing the September 11, 2001, terror attacks in the United States, and other measureshad been introduced since then.
"We are constantly examining, re-examining and reviewing the adequacy of the systemwe have in place to ensure it is as effective as it can possibly be," he told parliamenttoday.
"As part of the continuous review process ... the government has asked the secretariescommittee for national security to undertake an assessment of our aviation security system."
Mr Anderson said the committee would examine the implications of the latest intelligence- how immigration, border control and airport security contributed to an effective system,and which of the existing arrangements could be changed, improved or made less predictable.
It would also examine what emerging technologies should be considered for adoption.
He said it would report to the national security committee of cabinet which would decidewhether further changes were needed.
"This is an absolutely high priority for the government," Mr Anderson said.
"The work will proceed promptly and we will respond as quickly as possible and takewhatever action is deemed necessary to ensure that our aviation security arrangementsare as tight and effective as we can humanly make them."
AAP mb/sb/hu/mo i
KEYWORD: TERROR NIGHTLEAD
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