Aus plays down warning reports
2005-10-03 10:48
Sydney - Australian authorities on Monday played down reports Balinese locals had warned tourists to avoid attractions frequented by Westerners ahead of Saturday's explosions on the resort island.
Two Australians who were holidaying in Bali have said they were told to stay away from central Kuta, the scene of the first Bali bombings in 2002 and one of two tourists spots targeted on Saturday night.
Perth man Darren Humble said a nightclub bouncer had told a guest at the hotel where he was staying about the possibility of a terror attack, while advertising executive Mick Colliss told a Sydney radio station a friend with connections to the Balinese underworld warned him off Kuta.
Australian Federal police commissioner Mick Keelty said the claims would be investigated but it was difficult to act on rumours.
"Rumours and facts are quite different and this is the difficult nature of the area we're now dealing with," said Keelty.
"So what do you do? Do you shut down Kuta that night because someone heard a rumour something might happen? It just shows you the difficult and complex nature of what we're dealing with."
No specific information ahead of blasts
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said he didn't know if such rumours could be taken seriously.
Downer said Australia's official travel advisory had long warned tourists about the general possibility of attacks on Western interests in Indonesia but intelligence agencies said they had no specific information ahead of Saturday's blasts.
"I can only tell you what people did know and no doubt there are rumours every day of the week," said Downer. "The thing is you don't know how seriously to take them.
"The warnings have been there and at the end of the day it is there in black and white in the travel advisory."
Australia's travel advisory, which has long warned against non essential travel to Indonesia, was updated in the wake of the latest bombings to warn tourists in Bali more explosions couldn't be ruled out.