Bombings, business and the future of Indonesia

"If it isn't him and is the work of some other operatives, perhaps they're not as in touch with the Western world as we would expect."

Either way, Jones said, the bombs still hit their target.

"These attacks are not always about the body count," she said. "These people were successful in grabbing the world's attention."

Jones said the sophisticated feat of detonating a pair of bombs within two minutes of each other despite heightened hotel security no doubt took months of planning.

She discounted reports that the bombings were connected to the hundreds of Jemaah Islamiah rebels recently released from custody in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

"I'm not sure that group contains a likely group of suspects," she said. "Very few have been directly involved in bombings -- more so peripheral jobs as couriers or hiding fugitives.

"Many former prisoners have been co-opted by police and were not willing to risk the profit of that cooperation. Maybe five or six represented a serious risk of returning to violence, and the authorities had many of those under surveillance."

Whoever was at fault in the attacks, Muryadi said the result was bad news for Indonesia's attraction as an investment destination.

"I think foreigners might think twice now about doing business here anymore," he said. "My reporters have already talked to Australians who couldn't wait to get out of the country."

None of that is good news for Castle, who concentrated his energies on demonstrating the positive here.

"He's one of the main cheerleaders of Indonesia," Ressa said of Castle, a former American Chamber of Commerce president here who arrived in Indonesia in 1977.

The breakfast round table, a 10-year-old event, was often held at the Marriott, which is near Castle's home, Muryadi said.

CastleAsia employee Wiwi Wijayanti said the company's chairman suffered some hearing damage in the blast. Another employee who asked not to be identified said 19 businessmen were at the meeting when the bomb struck.

He said Castle was "recovering from shock" and was being closely monitored by doctors.

Jones said she expected foreign investment to resume here. "There was little impact on the business community following the first Marriott attack in 2003. There will clearly be deep concern and real shock at the fact that some executives were killed in this bombing. But it won't be a critical factor determining whether investment here grows or declines."

On Saturday, businessman Sandi Siswantoro held his 2 1/2 -year-old son, Mika, outside the Marriott. He said he was trying to teach the boy a lesson.

"I want to show him the ugly work of terrorism," he said, "and make the point that this kind of behavior is not good for Indonesia."

--

john.glionna@latimes.com