Howard to travel to Bali for bomb blasts anniversary

Howard to travel to Bali for bomb blasts anniversary blasts

Agencies, Melbourne, Australia

Australian Prime Minister John Howard will travel to the Indonesian island of Bali for the first anniversary of the terror bombings that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.

The government will also pay for 1,500 people - survivors and families of the victims - to return to Bali for the Oct. 12 anniversary, Howard said in a radio interview.

"I would expect there to be a very significant outpouring of public emotion on the occasion and a proper dignified observance is entirely appropriate," he said.

The Bali attack, blamed on members of the al-Qaeda-linked Jamaah Islamiyah group, was the world's deadliest terrorist strike since Sept. 11, 2001. Two bombs were detonated in bars packed with foreign travelers in the tourist region of Kuta. Many of the victims were burned beyond recognition in fires sparked by the blasts.

A memorial service will also be held in the Australian capital, Canberra, later in the week of the anniversary.

"There will be some people that will not be able to go to Bali or may not want to go to Bali because they may find it too harrowing to actually go to where their loved ones were killed," Howard said.

A string of suspects is currently standing trial in the Balinese capital, Denpasar, for their alleged involvement in the atrocity. They face the death penalty if convicted.

More than 30 militants have been arrested over the attacks, which Indonesian officials have blamed on Jamaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asian Muslim network accused of carrying out a terror campaign in the region.

Four Indonesian men, including three brothers, accused of playing central roles in the bomb attacks are currently on trial in Bali.