Jakarta – Indonesia has won universal praise for the nimble footwork its police have shown in investigating the Bali bombings and arresting nearly 30 suspects. But the job is only half-done.
As early as next month, the first trials over the blasts that killed 202 mainly foreign holidaymakers will open on the resort island in a blaze of publicity, with plenty at stake at home and abroad for Indonesia.
There will be intense international pressure on the country's weak and unreliable courts to mete out tough sentences to the Muslim militants accused of carrying out the worst terrorist act since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
The trials could also provide one of the clearest pictures yet of how the Jemaah Islamiah, the radical South-east Asian Muslim network blamed for the bombings, operates.
One key suspect to take the dock will be Ali Gufron, alias Mukhlas, the alleged operational chief of the shadowy Al- Qaeda-linked group.
"Those countries that are concerned about terrorism and Indonesia's capacity to deal with it will be watching closely. They will be extremely interested in the outcome and the process," said a senior Western diplomat in Jakarta.
A repeat of the verdicts in trials aimed at accounting for violence that ruined East Timor when the territory voted to break from Jakarta's rule in 1999 – where most of the 18 suspects have so far gotten off – would be a major black eye for Indonesia.
Late last month, a court cleared Muslim cleric Jafaar Umar Thalib of inciting violence between Muslims and Christians while leading the now-defunct Laskar Jihad militia in the Maluku islands.
Before the blasts, Indonesia had come in for criticism for not doing enough to combat the threat of terrorism. That has changed following the widely praised police probe, boosted by foreign expertise, especially from Australia.
The country received kudos as late as Wednesday from President George W. Bush, no less. The US President telephoned President Megawati Sukarnoputri to congratulate her on her country's success in fighting terrorism, AFP reported.
"The President emphasised his appreciation for Indonesia's excellent work in counter-terrorism cooperation, including the investigation of the Bali bombings," said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.
Police have handed dossiers on seven suspects to prosecutors and will submit seven more on Monday. That means the first trials could be just weeks away, although no dates have been set.
Police have arrested 29 Indonesians over the blasts. The key suspects will be tried first, probably in individual hearings.
Two of them have expressed pride publicly at the carnage wrought on Bali, and police said others had admitted involvement. Lawyers for the suspects could not be reached for comment.