I'm sure by now you have all heard about the bombing in Bali on Saturday- 26 people killed, including locals and tourists from Australia, the US, Japan, and South Korea. They are attributing the bombings to the regional terrorist group the Jemaah Islamiyah, who were responsible for the last attack. This bombing occured in much the same area as the last one, near the resort town of Kuta. It is so sad that this had to happen, especially at a time when tourists were starting to go back to Bali and feel "safe" once again. This has to be a hard blow for the locals, who earn their livings from tourism. Most of the local people in that region are Hindu, not Muslim, which is apparently another reason the Muslim extremists find it an easy target. I wonder how the Indonesian government is going to respond this time? They have to do something substantial to crack down on terrorism in the region....

So, as you know, this is the very topic I am writing my thesis on. The recent attacks highlight how important this issue is.