<i>Jemaah Islamiah</i> warnings fuel fears of fresh attacks

Fears of fresh attacks by Southeast Asia's al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah network mounted yesterday ahead of the first anniversary of the Bali bombings and two major regional summits next month.

Thailand, due to host 21 Asia-Pacific leaders in Bangkok who will include US President George W. Bush, said it had foiled a plot to attack Israeli planes. But its heightened security may not be enough to alleviate concern the country is a soft target.

Australia told its people to stay away from Indonesia around next month's first anniversary of the Bali nightclub bombings that killed 202 people, citing the risk of fresh attacks. Indonesia will host a summit of the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) next month on Bali with regional security expected to be on the agenda.

Despite the capture of several high-profile Islamic militants in the region, including Hambali, the reputed JI operations chief believed to be al Qaeda's top man in Southeast Asia, analysts say the risk of attacks is high.

"There are still explosives out there. We know that JI people are still at large and they know how to construct bombs," said Steve Wilford, Southeast Asia analyst at Control Risks Group.

"Something is going to go off. It's a question of when rather than if," he told Reuters.

Australians planning to go to Bali to mark the October 12 anniversary of bombings that killed 88 Australians, were told yesterday that further attacks were being planned.

"Jemaah Islamiah continue to have the capability and intent to mount attacks in the region," the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a travel advisory. "The threat extends beyond the formal commemorative venues and events.

Indonesian police said the threats were real, but there was no connection yet to the Bali anniversary.

"What we know is that there are bombing plans and we will use all of our efforts to thwart them," said national police spokesman Zainuri Lubis.

ASEAN, with more than 500 million people and two million military personnel, faces myriad security issues ranging from terrorism to territorial disputes and drug smuggling.

Southeast Asian security chiefs conceded earlier this month they needed to strengthen their often patchy cooperation in the fight against terror.

Hambali's arrest in Thailand was hailed as an example of the kind of shared security and intelligence work the region needs.

But it also raised fears that Asia's Islamist militants are at work in the country, where leaders of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum gather for an October 19-21 summit.