The two explosions that went off in Paddy's Irish Pub and the hugely popular Sari Club in Kuta, Bali, a few seconds apart slightly after 11pm on Oct 12, have vaporised the notion that tourist destinations in this part of the world are generally safe.

Forty-eight hours after an announcement by an Indonesian tourism official that about 1.71 million visitors are expected to visit Bali by year's end, at least 15,000 people fled the island in haste. The mass exodus needed extra airlifts and saw airlines such as Singapore Airlines and Australia's Qantas increasing flights in response.

The blast killed about 200 people, mainly Westerners and Australians who have traditionally made up the bulk of tourists to the resort island. Bali has been young Australians' automatic choice for a carefree break.

This is not the first bombing incident in Indonesia, where ethnic-based conflicts have raged. However, it is the first time, and disturbingly so, that places frequented by Westerners were targeted.

As yet, there is no substantial evidence linking any terrorist group to the attacks. However, earlier data gathered by the world's intelligence community inevitably places responsibility on the regional Jemaah Islamiah (JI) group, which has the intention of setting up Islamic states in this region.

The intelligence community also is in no doubt that the JI is linked with the Afghan-based al-Qaeda network and its leader Osama bin Laden.

The latest video-recordings attributed to Osama and his lieutenants, who warned of further terror attacks against the West, strengthen these suspicions.

New front

If the warnings are genuine, then the war against terrorism has taken on a new geographical front. It no longer targets American and other Western embassies or institutions that represent their inrterests. The new targets now could be any place in the world that draws a sizeable number of Caucasians.

So Bali could followed by, say, a nightclub in Clark Quay in Singapore, or one along Bintang Walk in Kuala Lumpur. The next attack could well be in Manila or Bangkok or Jakarta. All these destinations are known to attract foreigners and are popular for their shopping outlets and nightlife activities.

The fear factor from the Bali blasts is already apparent, striking not just at tourists but at every segment of society. The tourism industry, for example, has complained about the drastic decline in arrivals, especially from the West, as holiday bookings are cancelled.

The economic impact looks serious for all countries in the region including Malaysia, where tourism is the second highest revenue earner after manufacturing.

As these countries struggle to recover from the 1997-98 financial crisis, this new setback can only make it doubly difficult for Southeast Asia to regain economic stability.

As it is, with China's accession to the World Trade Organisation, many multinational companies have moved to that country, taking away billions of investment dollars from Southeast Asia.

Will to fight

What should Southeast Asian countries do to bring back the tourists who, in turn, will bring with them much-needed revenue?

For starters, the regional grouping of these countries, Asean, must work together to fight terrorism. All member states must be united in eliminating terrorists from this region.

It is a good sign that Asean leaders will have a special meeting later this week to discuss issues relating to terrorism. The meeting is scheduled to take place before the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Mexico from Oct 26-27.

Southeast Asia has been described by the US as the second theatre in the war against terrorism, after last year's military campaign in Afghanistan. Now it is up to governments in this region to show that they are capable of foiling any terror attacks.

For that to succeed, all governments must play a part. Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines have arrested many terror suspects in recent months, which has probably denied the JI sufficient manpower to stage even more severe attacks.

Indonesia has been lacking a terrorism law to arrest such suspects but after the Bali blasts, the republic introduced a new anti-terrorism law, under which key JI leaders have been detained.

Asean countries must not, however, abuse their powers by arresting just about anyone under terrorism- or security-related laws. Human rights must be valued, even if the person detained is a terror suspect. The best thing to do would be to bring these suspects to justice.

To do this effectively, the member states must have better cooperation in intelligence sharing and gathering of evidence. They must also look into other methods that would derail any terrorism activity, such as having a common financial security system.

More importantly, the member states must have extradition laws and judicial treaties that would allow for cross-border convictions and sentencing.

One war at a time

The US signed an anti-terror pact with Asean in August that provides for intelligence sharing as well as blocking of funds to terrorists. The US also agreed to set up an anti-terrorist center in Malaysia to oversee the fight against terrorism in this region.

These pacts must not remain on paper. There must be more information sharing among all, alongside genuine will to combat terrorism.

As for the US, perhaps the Bali blasts will drive home the point that the war against terrorism is not won yet. It would be best for the Bush administration to continue focusing on terrorists before embarking upon a new war.

Only by showing that they are committed to fighting terrorism and providing safety to genuine visitors, will Asean governments see the coffers filling up with tourist dollars again. Otherwise, just like Bali, tourist destinations around the region could well become ghost towns.

K KABILAN is a news editor of malaysiakini .