{"id":1617,"date":"2016-07-16T09:28:14","date_gmt":"2016-07-16T09:28:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.southasiantimes.com.au\/?p=1617"},"modified":"2016-07-17T09:32:49","modified_gmt":"2016-07-17T09:32:49","slug":"from-jakarta-to-delhi-asian-leaders-condemn-truck-attack-in-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.southasiantimes.com.au\/?p=1617","title":{"rendered":"From Jakarta to Delhi, Asian Leaders Condemn Truck Attack in France"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"france\"<\/a>Leaders across South and Southeast Asia on Friday joined an international outcry against a truck attack in the French Riviera that killed at least 84 people and injured scores more as France was celebrating its national day.<\/p>\n

\u201cTerrorists bring the world\u2019s civilization into conflict. That\u2019s what they\u2019re waiting for,\u201d Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, chairman of the youth wing of Muhammadiyah, one of the most influential Islamic groups in Indonesia \u2013 home to the world\u2019s largest Muslim population \u2013 told BenarNews.<\/p>\n

The massacre unfolded when a lone gunman reportedly rammed a truck into a crowd of revelers who had gathered for a fireworks show late Thursday along the seafront Promenade des Anglais in the city of Nice. Afterward the French president went on national television in the early hours of Friday to declare the attack an act of terrorism.<\/p>\n

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed shock and anger over the attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cAppalled by the horrific attack in Nice. I strongly condemn such mindless acts of violence. My thoughts are with the families of deceased,\u201d Modi said via Twitter. \u201cIndia shares the pain & stands firmly with our French sisters & brothers in this hour of immense sadness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indonesian President Joko \u201cJokowi\u201d Widodo also tweeted out his condolences to the French people.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe attack in France was very cruel. Indonesia is united in solidarity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHorrified by the cowardly attack in Nice. Must stand firm against terrorist atrocities. Our thoughts & prayers are with the people of France,\u201d Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak tweeted on his part.<\/p>\n

\u2018France is in tears\u2019: Hollande<\/p>\n

The attack, the third major terrorist attack to strike France within the past 18 months, came as the French people were celebrating Bastille Day, marking the overthrow of the monarchy in 1789 and the founding of the French Republic.<\/p>\n

The tricolor French flag was lowered to half-staff on Friday as the nation prepared for three days of mourning, which will start on Saturday, reports said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrance was hit on its National Day, 14 July, the symbol of freedom, because human rights are denied by the fanatics, and because France is obviously their target\u2026,\u201d French President Francois Hollande told a nation grieving again.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrance is in tears, it\u2019s deeply distressed, but it\u2019s strong and will always be stronger \u2013 I assure you of that \u2013 than the fanatics who seek to attack it today,\u201d he added, according to a statement released by the French government.<\/p>\n

The United Nations Security Council and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) were among international bodies that joined many countries in condemning the attack.<\/p>\n

Its death toll included at least 10 children, and 202 people were hurt, including 52 in critical condition, BBC News reported.<\/p>\n

French authorities identified the gunman, who was shot and killed by police, as Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a 31-year-old Tunisian-born delivery man who lived in the Nice area and who was known to police but not previously linked to any extremist groups, according to the BBC.<\/p>\n

According to news reports, no militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, supporters of the extremist group Islamic State were celebrating the massacre in Nice on the internet, according to SITE Intelligence, a U.S.-based website that monitors online communications by extremists.<\/p>\n

A bloody Ramadan<\/p>\n

The attack occurred four days after the end of the European football championships, a month-long tournament hosted by France under extra-heavy security.<\/p>\n

French fans had rejoiced as their national team made it to the final. But on Sunday Les Bleus lost to Portugal in the title match played at the Stade de France, outside Paris, the same sporting venue targeted in an attack by IS-linked terrorists on the night of Nov. 13, 2015, when France was playing Germany in a friendly match.<\/p>\n

An explosion outside the stadium was among a series of coordinated attacks that killed 130 people in Paris that night. Ten months earlier, 12 people were killed in an attack carried out by French-born IS sympathizers on the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical French magazine.<\/p>\n

No acts of terrorism took place in France as Euro 2016 was being played out on its soil, but the month was marred by a series of Ramadan-time attacks claimed by IS or carried out by IS-inspired attackers, which killed hundreds of people overseas.<\/p>\n

Those attacks over the course of June and early July targeted a nightclub in Orlando, Fla., Istanbul\u2019s international airport, a shopping district in Baghdad and the Holey Artisan Bakery caf\u00e9 in Dhaka\u2019s diplomatic quarter. Smaller-scale attacks linked to IS took place at a nightclub near Kuala Lumpur and a police station in Solo, in Indonesia\u2019s Central Java province.<\/p>\n

\u201cI strongly condemn Thursday’s barbaric attack in the strongest terms. I also express my sorrow for the loss of so many innocent lives, including children,\u201d said Abdul Hamid, the president of Bangladesh, which is still reeling from the IS-claimed attack on July 1 that left 29 people dead, including seven suspected terrorists.<\/p>\n

Through his spokesman, Hamid said he was praying for the salvation of the souls of the people who died in Nice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI urge all to put up a united resistance against terrorism of all forms,\u201d Hamid said.<\/p>\n

Officials from the Indian and Indonesian governments said that, so far, they had received no reports from France about citizens killed or hurt in Thursday\u2019s attack.<\/p>\n

But according to Malaysia\u2019s ambassador to France, a Malaysian university student was injured in the attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe situation on the ground in Paris is calm and, in Nice, security is a bit more tight due to the tragedy. As for Malaysians in Paris or those planning to visit Paris, we continuously remind them to be vigilant and aware of their surroundings,\u201d Ambassador Ibrahim Abdullah told BenarNews on Friday.<\/p>\n

The student, whom he declined to name, is enrolled at the Singapore University of Technology and Design and was on exchange program in France. He was being treated for his injuries at the Pasteur Hospital in Nice, the ambassador said.<\/p>\n

In Bangkok, Thailand\u2019s foreign ministry issued a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Thai Foreign Ministry was informed by the embassy in Paris that it is closely monitoring the situation, and we advise all those in France and those planning to go to France to avoid commuting to public, mass gatherings,\u201d the ministry said.<\/p>\n

Source:BenarNews<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Leaders across South and Southeast Asia on Friday joined an international outcry against a truck…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1618,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[9,10,6,31,33,2],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/southasiantimes.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/france.jpg",622,415,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/southasiantimes.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/france.jpg",150,100,false],"medium":["https:\/\/southasiantimes.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/france.jpg",300,200,false],"medium_large":["https:\/\/southasiantimes.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/france.jpg",622,415,false],"large":["https:\/\/southasiantimes.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/france.jpg",622,415,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/southasiantimes.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/france.jpg",622,415,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/southasiantimes.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/france.jpg",622,415,false],"enternews-featured":["https:\/\/southasiantimes.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/france.jpg",622,415,false],"enternews-medium":["https:\/\/southasiantimes.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/france.jpg",622,415,false],"enternews-thumbnail":["https:\/\/southasiantimes.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/france.jpg",472,315,false]},"author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/www.southasiantimes.com.au\/?author=1"},"category_info":"Stories<\/a>","tag_info":"Stories","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southasiantimes.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1617"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southasiantimes.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southasiantimes.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southasiantimes.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southasiantimes.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1617"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.southasiantimes.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1617\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1620,"href":"https:\/\/www.southasiantimes.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1617\/revisions\/1620"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southasiantimes.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.southasiantimes.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southasiantimes.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.southasiantimes.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}