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Americans stay despite warning Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)    http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Indonesia-Worried-Americans.html http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Indonesia-Worried-Americans.html Americans to Stay Put in Indonesia By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 4:11 p.m. ET JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- Many Americans plan to stay in Indonesia despite a State Department warning that they should consider leaving after a bomb attack killed nearly 200 people on the resort island of Bali. ``I'm not packing, I feel safe here,'' said Karen McGuire, whose husband works for an oil company in the southeast Asian nation. The bombing, which authorities blamed on al-Qaida or its affiliates, prompted the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta to order personnel in non-emergency positions to leave Indonesia with their families by Friday. For security reasons, the embassy would not disclose the number of staff who would leave or remain behind in the country, said spokesman Stanley Harsha. More than 180 people were killed and hundreds more injured in the car-bomb attack Saturday outside a nightclub packed with foreign tourists. At least two Americans were killed and four injured. Their names were not released. The nightclub bombing underscores the concern for the safety of westerners in the region, Ralph Boyce, the U.S. ambassador to Indonesia, said in a radio interview. ``This particular club was well known to be frequented by Westerners in general, so it's tempting to think that that was the target, which is a pretty sad and despicable state of affairs,'' Boyce told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. A former All-American football player at the University of Nebraska, Jake Young, was among the missing. The State Department recovered the passport of the 34-year-old attorney and father who was in Bali to play a tournament with his rugby team. The family of Steven Brooks Webster, 41, of Huntington Beach, Calif., said he, too, was missing. Brooks, an environmental consultant and avid surfer, was in Bali to celebrate his birthday. An estimated 20,000 Americans are in Indonesia at any one time, although relatively few are permanent residents. They range from tourists to employees of large energy companies such as ExxonMobil, which have extensive interests in the resource-rich nation. The State Department urged them all to consider leaving the country. ``Americans visiting or residing in Indonesia are advised to examine the necessity of continuing to remain,'' said a bulletin released by the embassy. Still, no major U.S. companies have ordered the evacuation of their employees and their dependents, said a leading American businessman who asked not be named. Most Americans appear to have adopted a wait-and-see attitude and several noted that there was no history of violent anti-Americanism in Indonesia. ``I'm a member of the American Women's Association and we did cancel our meeting tomorrow, but otherwise it's business as usual,'' McGuire said. Marilyn Ewenczyk, the wife of a financial executive, echoed that sentiment. ``We have no plans for the moment. We are sitting tight and trying to keep a low profile,'' she said. ``We're hoping that this too shall pass.'' -------- On the Net: Embassy site, http://www.usembassyjakarta.org

aceh aug-2003-marriott-blast bali-blast-oct-2002 may-03-incursion tsunami-christmas-2004 50m anti terror { October 15 2002 } Americans stay despite warning Asia terror attacks inevitable Australia works with terror unit { November 11 2002 } Blasts in bali tourist areas after oil policy change { October 2 2005 } Car bomb in indonesia kills nine Exxonmobil hires indonesian military for human rights abuses Indonesia extends mastial law in aceh { November 4 2003 } Indonesia no us troops Indonesia president claims intelligence behind bombings { October 13 2005 } Indonesia promises to raise security standards Indonesia unveils big fuel prices amid protests { August 2005 } Indonesian army reasserts influence { June 26 2003 } Indonesian soldiers help over bombings { September 26 2000 } Long indonesia war { June 17 2002 } Partial bomb found in bali month before explosions { October 6 2005 } Files Listed: 16

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