Sketchy Response

After the horrific bombings in Bali, Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri seemed finally to grasp the seriousness of the national crisis. She rushed to the scene of the tragedy, pushed through a tough anti-terror presidential decree and permitted the arrest of Abubakar Ba'asyir, the Muslim cleric suspected of being the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiah, which the U.S. has dubbed a terrorist organization. Indonesia was the slowest country in Southeast Asia to respond to terrorism post-Sept. 11Xand Bali showed graphically the need to intensify its vigilance. It seemed at last that Megawati was waking up. After all, the Bali attack gave her...