Victim’s bereaved family hurt by lack of 20th anniversary ceremony

The pressure from the Australian government was timely and Patek has yet to formally approve his parole.

Meanwhile, Patek has thanked the Indonesian government for his early cuts.

Less than two months before the 20th anniversary, relatives and friends of those who died are also unhappy with the Australian government’s plans to hold a solemn ceremony in Bali.

In 2012, ten years after the bombings, then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard and John Howard, who was prime minister at the time of the attacks, spoke at a ceremony in Bali attended by hundreds of families of victims and survivors.

Ten years later, and with another important anniversary on the 12th of October, the Australian government is not planning a similar celebration.

Instead, the government will celebrate the anniversary by opening a memorial garden in Bali and placing a memorial book at the Australian Consulate General in Denpasar.

Leeton’s Sandra Thompson, who lost her then-29-year-old son Clint Thompson in the Sari Club bombing, believes not enough is being done on such an important anniversary. increase.

She attended the ceremony 10 years ago and said it was “amazing.” “We are indebted. Nothing this time.

“Personally, I would have hoped that people would have the freedom to choose to go and have a nice ceremony if they wanted to. Later it will be much less than before, so it wouldn’t be high.”

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Melbourne resident Jan Laczynski, who was in Bali the night of the attack and lost five friends in the blast, plans to return to the island in October and should at least hold a small and dignified Australian government ceremony. said.

“It’s a tough time for many Australians,” he said. “A lot of people are talking about the 20th anniversary. A lot of people have reached out to me and said, ‘What’s going on? Unfortunately, I don’t think anything happened.

“I remember John Howard saying precisely on the first anniversary that Australia would never forget the 88 lost Australians. is.

A spokeswoman for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the government was considering further options for observing the date in Australia and that “community groups, including those in Bali and Australia, are also likely to hold their own events.” rice field.

“October 12, 2022 will be a difficult day for many Australians, Indonesians and people around the world affected by the senseless acts that took place in Bali 20 years ago.”

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