Australia holds memorial service for Bali victims<\/p>\n
Agencies, Canberra<\/p>\n
Australian leaders and tearful families of the Bali bombing
\nvictims attended a national memorial service in parliament
\nThursday for those killed and wounded in the Oct. 12 terrorist
\nattack.<\/p>\n
"The deaths of so many Australians in such a cruel and
\ncowardly act has touched our nation," said the Anglican chaplain
\nto Australia's armed forces, Bishop Tom Frame, in opening the
\nceremony,<\/p>\n
As bagpipes played a mournful lament, friends and relatives of
\nmany of the 94 Australians killed or missing and presumed dead in
\nthe bombing lit candles in memory of their loved ones.<\/p>\n
They were joined by Prime Minister John Howard, heads of
\nAustralia's states and territories, religious leaders, military
\nbrass and diplomats, including Indonesia's acting ambassador,
\nImron Cotan.<\/p>\n
One of the most heart-wrenching moments came when opposition
\nleader Simon Crean read letters written by two of the children at
\nthe ceremony to their father when they still hoped he would be
\nfound among the survivors in Bali.<\/p>\n
"Get well, Dad, and hurry up so that we can go fishing. Bye,
\nMathew. Get well," wrote Mathew Dobson, 11, to his missing dad
\nAndrew.<\/p>\n
His 13-year-old sister Tasha wrote: "When you get the chance
\ncould you please ring, because there are so many people, people
\nwho don't even know you, that are really worried about you.<\/p>\n
"Talk to you when I see you next. Big hugs and kisses, Tasha
\nBear."<\/p>\n
At the ceremony, Howard said the bombing by suspected
\nreligious radicals had left Australia "consumed with a national
\nsense of grief and sadness and justifiable anger that in such a
\nbrutal way so many lives, especially young ones, should have been
\ncut short."<\/p>\n
He called the bombing, which targeted two night clubs packed
\nwith foreign tourists, a "brutal reminder" that terrorism could
\nstrike anywhere.<\/p>\n
Following the ceremony, Howard met with state and federal
\ngovernment leaders and agreed on a series of new measures to
\nfight terrorism.<\/p>\n
Three mourners wore football jerseys to mark the loss of at
\nleast a dozen young Australian Rules players who had gone to
\nneighboring Bali to celebrate the end of the season with their
\nteams.<\/p>\n
In the public gallery above, discreet security officers in
\nsomber suits and curly earpieces looked on, while tourists and
\nschoolchildren lamented Australia's loss of innocence.<\/p>\n
"It has brought home the reality of terrorism -- that it has
\ncome to our shores. September 11 was remote, distant, but this
\nhas come home," teacher Honi Reifler said after the service.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/australia-holds-memorial-service-for-bali-victims-1447893297",
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