The horrific bombings in Bali on Saturday left scenes of death and destruction which have, sadly, become all too familiar in recent years. They serve as a grim reminder that international terrorism continues to pose a grave threat to the world.
These latest attacks were especially cruel. It is less than three years since this idyllic Indonesian island, popular with foreign tourists, was last targeted by bombers, with similarly devastating consequences. The blasts came just ahead of the third anniversary of the 2002 bombings, which claimed 202 lives.
The killings on Saturday will bring back painful memories for people in Hong Kong, as 11 of our residents were among those who died in the 2002 bombings. This time, the attacks were not on quite the same scale. But that is of little consolation. Many have been killed and more than 100 injured in bombings calculated to cause as much bloodshed as possible.
There are many similarities between Saturday's attacks and those of 2002. They were carried out in places popular with foreign tourists. Many of the dead and wounded had come to Bali from overseas. There are victims from Japan, South Korea, Australia, France and the US. This demonstrates the aim of the terrorists - to target foreign tourists. It also underlines the fact that the terror threat is one faced by all nations. No wonder the attacks have been condemned by governments around the world. Most of the victims, however, were Indonesian, presumably regarded by the callous bombers as collateral damage.
The hunt is now on for the culprits. It is not yet known who was responsible. But suspicion will fall on the militant Islamic group Jemaah Islamiah (JI), linked to more than 50 bombings since 1999. It was responsible for the Bali attacks in 2002 and is believed to have also carried out the bombing of the JW Marriott hotel in Jakarta in 2003 and the Australian embassy, also in Jakarta, last year.
There is evidence to suggest that the latest blasts are the work of this group, believed to have ties to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network. Experts believe that only JI would be capable of perpetrating bombings of this kind in Indonesia.