Indonesia’s president said today that deadly bombings on tourist-packed restaurants in Bali and other terror strikes were battering the country’s reputation and called on his military to stamp out the scourge of terrorism in the world’s most populous Muslim nation.

New terror fears gripped Asia today, sparking security scares at embassies and travel alerts, but Indonesia shrugged off calls to outlaw the elusive militant group suspected in deadly suicide bombings on Bali island.

Officials estimate 1,000 people have died since Monday’s 8.7-magnitude quake, and said Indonesia would welcome foreign military help for its latest disaster.

A powerful 8.7-magnitude earthquake hammered Indonesia’s west coast, collapsing homes and burying sleeping residents inside and sparking panic across Indian Ocean countries still traumatised by the tsunami disaster three months ago. Death toll estimates varied widely, from about 200 to 10 times that number.