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Terror attacks in troubled region
17 Jul 2009Today's attacks are not the first time terrorists have struck in Indonesia.
One of the hotels affected, the Marriott, was targeted in a similar attack in 2003 that killed 12 people.
That blast followed the country's worst terrorist outrage when more than 200 people died in the Bali bomb blasts of October 2002.
The vast majority were foreign nationals - proof of Indonesia's appeal to tourists and the terrorists' ability to plan attacks designed to kill westerners.
Australia suffered the greatest number of casualties, with 88 Australian nationals losing their lives but 26 Britons, nine Swedes, seven Americans, six Germans and four Dutch nationals were also among the dead.
One bomb destroyed the Sari Club, a popular nightspot frequented by foreigners in the resort of Kuta Beach, and began a fire that then engulfed another nearby club.
The second bomb exploded in Denpasar, the capital of Bali, about 100 metres from the US consulate in the city.
Tourist areas on the island were targeted again in 2005 when 20 people were killed in a series of bombings.
The main suspects, then as now, were Jemaah Islamiyah.
Three members of the group, whose aim is the creation of a unified Islamic state in Singapore, Malaysia , Indonesia and the Southern Philippines, were executed for their part in the 2002 plot.
Bali sits on the religious faultline that runs through Indonesia. It is home to a predominantly Hindu culture that has flourished in what is the world's most populous Muslim nation.
The official advice on the Foreign Office website tells travellers to Indonesia there is potential for "politically motivated violence".
It goes on to warn of "a general threat from terrorism in Indonesia" and says indiscriminate attacks targeting foreign travellers cannot be ruled out.
More than 29,000 UK tourists visited Bali last year with those numbers dwarfed by visitors from Australia and Japan - the two countries that provide the bulk of foreign tourism.
