Kuta (Indonesia): The United States ratcheted up pressure on Indonesia on October 16 to crack down on radical Muslim groups following the Bali bomb outrage as investigators focused on two mini-vans used in the attack which killed more than 180 people.

Despite no claim of responsibility for Saturday's explosion in the resort of Kuta, Western governments and Jakarta have pointed the finger at the al-Qaeda network and local Islamic extremist allies.

The 'Koran Tempo' daily said investigators believed the attack was carried out by eight highly professional bombers, seven Indonesians and a foreigner who managed to escape the scene and leave Bali.

The usually reliable newspaper quoted police and intelligence sources as saying the bombers appear to have used two mini-vans, one carrying the bomb which was left outside the packed Sari club and the other which the bombers used to speed away from the scene.

"There are two possibilities, that the bomb was activated by a timer or the perpetrators just pushed a remote control button so that they can control the blast from a safe distance," a police source told the paper.

Most of the victims were foreign tourists, and police experts from Australia, Britain, Germany, Japan and the US have joined an international task force to hunt down the perpetrators.

National police chief general Da'i Bachtiar said the bombers used the extremely powerful military explosive C4, which as been linked to previous al-Qaida operations.

He also said police were hunting a man, who witnesses say placed a white bag outside a bar near the Sari club and then ran away just minutes before the blast. Witnesses have spoken of a small explosion, which preceded the main car bomb blast.

Police have questioned dozens of witnesses, and have also detained two Indonesian men for further questioning after they refused to answer some questions. They are not being treated as suspects yet, police say.

As investigators continued sifting through the burnt-out wreckage of the Sari Club for clues and body parts, Indonesia faced renewed pressure to take measures to prevent new attacks.

In a message to President Megawati Sukarnoputri reflecting US impatience over perceived failures to confront the terrorism threat, US Secretary of state Colin Powell said it was time now for Jakarta to face reality.

Powell said he believed the attack in Bali, which also left hundreds injured, many with horrific burns, had been a very "sobering experience" for Indonesian leaders.

"We can now see that you are not exempt from this. You cannot pretend it does not exist in your country," Powell said.

"I hope this will reinforce Indonesian determination to deal with this kind of threat," he said, echoing views voiced by the US President George W Bush and Australian leaders in recent days.

Megawati is expected to hold a limited cabinet meeting on October 16, and she is also due to hold talks with Foreign Minister Alexander Downer of Australia, where most of the bomb victims came from.

Much of the US and Australian anger has focused on Jakarta's failure to take action against the Jemaah Islamiyah (Islamic Community) group, many of whose members have been rounded up in neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia for allegedly plotting bombing campaigns.

The group's alleged spiritual leader, the elderly cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, lives freely in Indonesia and has denied any links to the Bali attacks, instead blaming the United States.

The British Prime Minister Tony Blair told Parliament on October 15 that his government was considering urgent moves to ban Jemaah Islamiyah under anti-terrorism laws, as the country mourned more than 30 Bali victims.

"We do not yet know for certain who carried it out. But we do know that there are groups of extremists active in the region, some of which have strong links to al- Qaida. These groups have worked with al-Qaida on attack plans in the past," he said.

The attack has had a devastating effect on the Hindu majority island of Bali, with tour operators around Asia cancelling trips to one of the region's most popular beach resort islands.

Thousands of tourists have also cut short their holidays following the attack after many Western governments issued travel advisories urging tourists to avoid Bali and Indonesia as a whole.

The US state department said around 300 non-emergency personnel and all diplomats' family members were in the process of leaving the US missions in Indonesia, as a result of increased security following the bombing.

The attack claimed victims from some two-dozen countries, a number expected to rise as the difficult identification process carries on.

Indonesian authorities have collected 182 bodies, but only around 40 have been identified so far. It is believed that a majority of the victims will turn out to be Australian, although many Indonesians and Britons were also killed.

Australian Foreign Minister Downer warned on October 15 the death toll was likely to rise. Many of the scores of injured airlifted to Australia are in a critical condition and other people may simply have been "blown to pieces".

AFP