JAKARTA, Oct. 3 (Xinhuanet¡¡by Heru Andriyanto ) -- The Saturday's bombings in Bali was greeted with dismay by the Indonesian people, not only because theattacks were the recurrence of those in the same month, on the same island nearly three years ago, but also because they send another blow to the country's fragile economy.

    Most influential newspaper Kompas begins its Monday's editorial with "Terrorists Attack Again".

    Leading economic daily Bisnis Indonesia reminded President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that arresting most wanted terrorists Azahari Husin and Noordin Moh Top, widely blamed for the Saturday's attacks and a string of previous major bombings, was listed among the president's targets for his first 100 days in office.

    "Where were our security officers? What make them unable to arrest Azahari and Nurdin Moh Top?" the daily asked.

    With tourism industry in the resort island still not fully recovered from the bombings on Oct. 12, 2002, the Saturday's attacks again become a major blow to Bali, where tourism makes up 80 percent of people's income in the province of 3.5 million.

    "Tourist industry is nothing without serious security measures," said Bagus Sudibya, chairman of the Bali Tourism Board.

    The government has targeted to boost tourist arrivals to six million and earn 6 billion US dollars in foreign exchange from the sector this year.

    According to the data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, around 5.3 million foreign tourists visited Indonesia last year, generating revenue of 5 billion US dollars.

    State Minister for National Development Planning Sri Mulyani Indrawati was quoted by The Jakarta Post as saying that the latest bombings in Bali may cut 0.3 percent of national growth.

    "... the blasts in two locations reflected our inability to ensure security for visitors and this will work to ruin the image of Bali as one of world's top destinations," Agung Prana, who runs several travel agencies and resorts, told the English-language newspaper.

    Share prices on the Jakarta Stock Exchange opened 2.2 percent lower on Monday in an immediate response to the Saturday's bombings.

    The attacks, which killed 27 people and injured more than 120 others at two separate locations in Bali, also become the stiffest test to Susilo who in August announced 2005-2006 as the Year of Indonesian Arts and Culture in a bid to boost tourism revenues in the country and also has warned possible terrorist attacks between August and October.

    The retired general, whose popularity is now on a shaky ground after he doubled domestic fuel prices on the same day with the attacks, has promised to crack down on terrorism when he was sworn in as president last year.

    Several months ago, Susilo replaced the police chief with local media saying the president was disappointed with the old chief's failure to arrest Azahari and Nurdin.

    The early investigation indicates that the bombings were carried out by three suicide bombers, each carried less than 10 kg of explosives.

    Bali Police Chief I Made Mangku Pastika said the police kept an amateur video footage that shows a suspicious man taking a seat in the middle of other guests seconds before the explosion.

    Pastika, who led a successful probe into the bombings in 2002, said the five-minute video showed the man was walking around to find a chair and keeping his right hand inside the pocket of his trousers.

    Police believe the man has detonated the bomb, which exploded almost immediately after he sat.

    The Indonesian courts have given death penalties to five convicted terrorists, including three convicts in the 2002 Bali bombings and two others in the car bombing near the Australian Embassy compound here last September.

    They have not been executed by the firing squad pending their appeals.

    The tough anti-terror law, however, is proved to be unable to prevent future attacks in the world's most populous Muslim nation,at least until the Saturday's bombings.

    Until this time, it cannot build a sense of security among the Indonesian people, not when Azahari and Nurdin are still around. Enditem