Prince Charles, John Howard attend Bali memorial service
Prince Charles, John Howard attend Bali memorial service
Agencies, London
"I don't think I can forgive," said Amanda Braden, whose son Daniel was killed along with 190 other Westerners when a bomb exploded on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali in October.
Braden, speaking after a memorial service on Wednesday, was rejecting an appeal for forgiveness by a suspect in her son's killing and said she did not believe the man was sincere.
A suspect held in Indonesia, Ali Imron, appealed for understanding on Tuesday. "I am remorseful. I beg forgiveness from the families of the victims," he told a news conference.
Unlike judicial systems in the West, Indonesian authorities often give the media considerable access to suspects.
Daniel Braden's sister, Claire, condemned that coverage.
"We feel that the suspects are getting too much publicity. We don't think they should be on TV," she said.
The Braden family spoke out after the memorial service for the dead at London's Southwark Cathedral, where 800 mourners were joined by Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, and Australian Prime Minister John Howard.
Braden's father, Alex, said the service reminded him his family were not alone.
"It brought home to us how many other people are in the same situation. Normally you are the only one," he said. "We have up days and down days. Today was an up day."
Mourners were visibly moved as a misty drizzle enveloped the cathedral, London's oldest gothic church. One woman, dressed in black, spread out a white tissue on her lap before the service began and dabbed her eyes throughout.
The congregation offered up prayers for victims and bombers alike.
British Foreign Minister Jack Straw read a passage from the Bible. Richard Harries, Bishop of Oxford and campaigner against the arms trade, gave a sermon sounding a note of caution on the war on terror.
"Terrorism remains a threat and it must be defeated. But defeating it involves more than good intelligence and the appropriate use of force. It involves confidence in the values we hold," the bishop said.
Twenty-six candles representing the Britons who died in the Bali bomb attack were lit on Wednesday at the memorial service held by their family and friends.
On the four-month anniversary of the devastating blast which tore through two nightclubs on the Indonesian holiday island, more than 800 people gathered at Southwark Cathedral in central London.
Nearly 600 of those were relatives of the dead or those who had survived the atrocity, which police have blamed on Jamaah Islamiyah, a radical Islamic group linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.
Prime Minister Tony Blair was away from London in the afternoon, attending talks with Irish counterpart Bertie Ahern on the Northern Ireland peace process.
During the emotional service in the Anglican church on the south bank of the River Thames, schoolchildren presented relatives with Indonesian orchids.
The children made their way down the aisles handing out the bright fuchsia-pink flowers as an Indonesian musical ensemble played a traditional Balinese piece.