Bali Bomb II anniversary service in Jimbaran Bali

Luh Putu Trisna Wahyuni and Rita A.Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Jimbaran, Kuta

Isaac and Ben Zwolinski were devastated when they heard their parents died in the Bali bomb attacks on Oct.1, 2005.

A year later, the two brothers flew to Bali to commemorate the first anniversary of the attacks at Jimbaran Bay on Sunday.

“Our lives have been changed forever and with the help of family and friends we wish to carry on and remember Mum and Dad in our special way,” the Zwolinskis said in a statement.

The early morning ceremony took place under tight security on Jimbaran beach, where open-air seafood restaurants Menega Caf‚ and Nyoman were damaged in the blasts.

Present at the ceremony were survivors of the attacks and friends and relatives of the victims.

Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Bill Farmer said at the ceremony: “the horrific attacks were committed by people who preach a twisted ideology of hate and an ideology which has no place in our open, democratic and peace-loving societies — an ideology abhorrent to all religions, and which has been condemned roundly by religious and community leaders in Indonesia and around the world.”

Australia Prime Minister John Howard conveyed his profound sympathy for the people affected by the tragedy.

On Oct.1, 2005, suicide bombers detonated a string of explosions — two in Jimbaran beach resort, the third in Kuta’s main square. Twenty-three people died, including the three bombers, and more than 150 others were injured. The island was still recovering from the bombings in Kuta that killed 202 people on Oct. 12, 2002.

Bali Governor Dewa Beratha and other high-ranking officials were not seen at the ceremony, which was organized by the Australian Embassy.

The owners of seafood cafes and Jimbaran residents were told by the local village chief to pray for the victims and for Bali in general. In Kuta Square, many people joined candle-lit prayers late Saturday.

Karen Sorrer, the owner of Raja’s Restaurant, which was destroyed in the 2005 attacks, said she did not yet have the courage to visit the property in Kuta. She reopened Raja’s in Seminyak, near Kuta.

“The bombs smashed the hopeful lives of many young people,” Sorrer said.

On Sunday, hundreds of people gathered at the Bajra Sandhi Museum and public square in Renon civic center, Denpasar, for “Echo of Peace”, a prayer and meditation session.

Not many Balinese people attended the ceremonies. “We already know the bombers got heavy sentences and will be executed as soon as possible,” Ni Nyoman Sura, a vendor at Badung traditional market, said.

On Friday, dozens of university students marched through the streets of Denpasar, demanding that Amrozi, Imam Samudra and other bombers be executed. “The government is just trying to buy time,” a student shouted.

Long stays on death row are common in Indonesia, but three men who were found guilty of leading attacks in Central Sulawesi in 2000 were executed last month, following the rejection of their final appeal in March.

Ni Putu Swadesi, a survivor of the second Bali bombings, said the government had paid very little attention to survivors. She was treated at Perth Royal Hospital in Western Australia.