The Wire

The past two days Australia and Asia has been coming to terms with the devastation that unfolded in Bali on Saturday night, when three simultaneous suicide bombers blew themselves up. The death toll stands at 27, including two Australians, with a further two nationals missing, believed to be dead. We’ve been hearing a lot about the motivations behind the attacks and the shock that tourists felt when they found themselves caught up in the latest attack. But one observer of Islamic fundamentalism in the region believes that another attack by terrorist group Jamal Islamia or JI should have come as no surprise. Deakin Univerity’s Greg Barton is a specialist on Jamal Islamia with the uni’s school of social and international studies, and he’s is currently teaching at Boston University as a visiting professor. He believes the latest attack represents a sinister new development that will mean future attacks in the region much will be harder to stop. He spoke with Erica Vowles.