JAKARTA - DELAYS in executing three Indonesian Islamist militants behind the deadly 2002 Bali bombings are helping build their image as 'holy warriors' and strengthening radicals, analysts say.

Bombers Amrozi, Mukhlas and Imam Samudra are set to face the firing squad imminently over the attack that killed 202 people on the holiday island, after a long string of legal challenges and bombastic media appearances from prison.

But by appearing to drag out the timing to avoid a violent retribution by supporters, cautious authorities are unwittingly handing a gift to extremists keen to turn the bombers into heroes, analysts said.

'I think we've been held hostage by the decision of the government not to execute the bombers immediately.'

The bombers have been using a media frenzy at home and abroad to taunt the government and victims and portray themselves as willing 'martyrs' for Islam, Mr Bandoro said.

Authorities had initially said the execution would happen before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, but the date has since been moved to 'early November'.

Security has been stepped up around the country after threats against the president and foreign embassies, while packs of journalists have camped out at the bombers' home villages and the port near their island prison.

White-clad extremists have protested at the home village of brothers Amrozi and Mukhlas in East Java and elsewhere, including Jakarta, shouting calls for jihad and threats against the Indonesian government.

The circus over the bombers' final days is emblematic of the government's fear of a backlash by Indonesia's small Islamist fringe.

It also highlights weak and corrupt prison authorities who have allowed the bombers to gain celebrity status from behind bars, Mr Bandoro said.

'The appearance of Amzorzi and friends on TV screens is a test for the government, to see if the government is strong enough to execute them,' he said.

The delays have also given extremists time to plan retribution attacks and to build new networks in place of those shattered by a police crackdown on the militant Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) network blamed for the Bali attack, JI analyst Noor Huda Ismail said.

'The delay has given jihadis time to organise and meet each other', Mr Noor Huda said.

Authorities had likely delayed the execution until after a visit by Britain's Prince Charles, who left on Wednesday, and until after the Muslim holy day of Friday to limit any violence, Mr Noor Huda said.

The bigger threat was that as radicals gather in support of the bombers, they will form new bonds between disparate groups, he said.

'(The bombers) will be martyrs, it will give jihadists a day to remember', he said.

But Mr John Harrison, an analyst from the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies in Singapore, said the drawn-out execution process was merely a sign Indonesia was upholding the rule of law after decades of dictatorship.

'It's a tribute to the transition Indonesia has made that this process has been transparent', he said.

'I think the important thing to remember is that the Indonesian govenment has gone through their legal processes.' -- AFP

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