A graphic, gruesome film screened at Kuta’s ground zero monument marking the 20th anniversary of the Bali bombings has upset and angered some friends and relatives of the dead.
The Australian government said on Thursday it would formally register its concerns with Indonesian authorities over the event.
The film, shown beside the monument at a ceremony attended by hundreds of Australians and Indonesians, depicted the catastrophic explosions that tore through the nightclubs, and their aftermath.
The ABC reported that at 11.05pm, the time of the attack that killed 202 people including 88 Australians, the screen showed videos of terrorist bombings including the attack on the Sari club, followed by footage of the wounded in hospital.
Jeff Marshall, son of Bali bomb victim Bob Marshall, told ABC radio he was stunned and saddened by the decision.
“They put up a video of all the bombings, all the carnage, which just ripped all our hearts apart seeing it all again,” he said.
The videos reportedly included footage of the convicted bomber Umar Patek, who is facing early release on parole.
Jan Laczynski, who lost five friends in the attack and was also present at the ceremony, told the ABC it was “not an appropriate spot” to show his image.
“He’s a terrorist, he should still be in jail … he should not be being shown here on the 20th anniversary,” he said.
The Australian government was “deeply disappointed by the decisions made by organisers”, a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement.
“The Australian government’s focus on the anniversary was honouring the lives of the victims and the courage and resilience shown by survivors and their families at our daytime services in Bali, in Canberra, and at events across the country,” the statement said.
“The Australian government wasn’t involved in organising the evening event in Bali. We are deeply disappointed by the decisions made by organisers. We will be formally registering our concerns with the Indonesian authorities.
“We understand the distress it has caused and stand ready to offer assistance to any Australians who may need it.”
Mourners had packed the foreground of Kuta’s ground zero monument for a Hindu peace and harmony ceremony marking the anniversary.
Supported by the Isana Dewata Foundation for Indonesian victims and survivors, it hosted a display of Balinese dancers espousing peace and harmony in Bali and elsewhere.
Dignitaries from both nations on Wednesday afternoon paid tribute to victims with a laying of flowers and candles, and a plea to embrace people of all faiths.
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The bombings carried out by Islamist terrorists – the worst in Indonesian history – tore through the Sari Club and Paddy’s Bar on 12 October 2002.
Among survivors at the ceremony were Balinese burns victims Yayuk and Cusnol, each of whom spent months in emergency care in Perth attended by the respected plastic surgeon Fiona Wood. Both women had suffered burns to about 70% of their bodies.
It was the later ceremony that provoked most interest and drew a bevy of high-profile Australian and Indonesian politicians, diplomats, officials and police to hammer home the fight against terrorism.
In a high-powered security operation, a swarm of elite Brimob, or mobile brigade corps, police and military forces lined the area and shut off streets leading to the monument.
High-ranking officials included the Indonesian home affairs minister, Tito Karnavian – previously the chief of Indonesian national police, and a leading figure in the battle against terrorism – and the chief of the national counter-terrorism agency, attended along with Australian federal police officers.
The militant-turned-police informant and deradicalisation proponent Nasir Abbas, who trained the Bali bombers in explosives-making, was in the crowd.
Video announcements from John Howard, Australia’s prime minister at the time of the bombings carried out by the al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah group, and Indonesia’s president, Joko Widodo, reiterated the strong relationship between the two countries.
“I know that those who organised and those who carried out those attacks wanted to drive a wedge between Indonesia and Australia,” Howard said.
“You can take comfort from the fact that they failed utterly to do that, because the way in which the two police forces came together ... has won the admiration of the officials of these two countries.
“Australia and Indonesia remain close.”
