I wasn't trying to have a go at Sydney! I was just trying to make a point that most people feel that Sydney is safe so they shouldn't feel any less safe if they are in Bahrain, Dubai or Qatar. The embassies and alot of tourist bureaus have listed these areas as very safe to visit as a tourist. In fact in The Courier Mail not long after Bali there was an article published ranking countries in order of threats/dangers to Westerners. At that time Dubai was ranked safer then Sydney. I forget the name and where the information for the table was from...but I'm sure a few net searches would find such rankings including Bahrain.
I've spent alot of time in Indonesia during many movements as an expat and I've found that as long as u have some way of leaving conflict areas quickly...there isn't an immediate threat....that's JUST my opinion anyway!
Peace out...
from
Mikey