-Caveat Lector- http://www.news.com.au/common/printpage/0,6093,5522781,00.html
Click here to print this page Conspiracies point to all but Muslims By Don Greenlees 20Nov02 THE headline of one Jakarta daily late last week added the latest twist to the run of conspiracy theories about who carried out the Bali bombings. "Imam Samudra a CIA agent?" The heading was splashed across a front page being offered to Jakarta motorists. In a country where the appetite for conspiracy theories is always great, the Bali bombings have fired the imaginations of the internet gossips, headline writers, radio talk-show hosts and political fringe-dwellers. As fast as the police come up with fresh evidence, someone is ready to absorb it into a conspiracy that blames everyone and anyone other than Indonesians or Muslims for the bombing. When police named Mr Samudra, a 35-year-old West Java man, as one of the ringleaders of the bombing, it was only a matter of time before someone was going to incorporate the development into a new theory of CIA plots. According to media commentators, sometimes the motive is as crude as selling extra newspapers. In the rollicking marketplace for Jakarta newspapers and magazines, anything goes after the end of the tough press restrictions imposed by former president Suharto. Two afternoon papers stand out for outlandish headlines: Rakyat Merdeka and Terbit. But this is seldom carried off with the wit or flare of a London tabloid. Says Wimar Witoelar, one-time presidential adviser and TV talk-show host: "The press is on a learning curve, and we keep saying that to the outside world. But we know the outside world has no patience with us while we damage our credibility." But Witoelar, one of the sanest of Indonesian commentators, admits to the lure of the conspiracy. He says it might be due to watching "too many CIA movies", but it's hard to stop the imagination wandering. "People of the responsible press have had their suspicions and doubts about outside intervention. I even have some thoughts," says Witoelar. At heart, many Indonesians don't want to believe members of their own Islamic community could have perpetrated the Bali bombing. This report appears on news.com.au. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
