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.