Never forget: Australian survivor Andrew Csabi placing a wreath at the memorial in the Australian Consulate in Denpasar, Bali. — Reuters
HUNDREDS of mourners and survivors commemorated the 20th anniversary of the bombings that killed more than 200 people on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.
Grieving families, attack survivors and representatives from several embassies will attend a memorial in Bali’s popular tourist hub of Kuta, where al-Qaeda-linked militants detonated bombs at a bar and nightclub on Oct 12, 2002.
“It’s okay that some people have forgotten what happened 20 years ago but there are still real victims, there are children who lost their parents in the bombing,” said Thiolina Marpaung, an organiser of the memorial who was left with permanent eye injuries in the attack. “I don’t want them to be forgotten,” the 47-year-old told AFP.
The candlelight vigil will be held at a monument built metres from the site of the blasts by victims’ family members to mark South-East Asia’s deadliest terrorist attack and remember the 202 victims.
Most were foreign holidaymakers from more than 20 countries but Australia suffered the biggest loss, with 88 dead.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told a memorial service in Sydney Wednesday that the horror of the bombings was swiftly countered by incredible acts of self-sacrifice and bravery.
“They sought to create terror, but people ran towards the terror to do what they could for friends and strangers alike,” he told a crowd gathered under light rain at the city’s famous Coogee Beach.
During the memorial, 88 doves were released – one for each Australian killed.
Albanese said the Bali bombings had left a permanent mark on Australia’s national identity, in a similar fashion to the devastating Gallipoli campaign of World War I.
In Bali, the Australian consulate also held a memorial service attended by ambassador to Indonesia Penny Williams and assistant minister for foreign affairs Tim Watts.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo will address families later in the day by video and former Australian prime minister John Howard will deliver a speech.
In Canberra, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong attended a memorial ceremony with Indonesia’s ambassador Siswo Pramono.
“We recommit to the ongoing work shared with Indonesia to counter the scourge of violent extremism,” Albanese and Wong said in a joint statement. — AFP
