The Bali bombing memorial. Source: Herryz
A militant who played a significant role in facilitating the 2002 attacks, Umar Patek, has apologised for the part he played in the Bali bombings.
Patek’s apology follows his recent release from prison, where he spent half of his 20-year sentence, for making the explosives that were used in the attacks.
The 2002 attack caused the death of 202 people from 21 countries.
Of the 202 victims, 88 were Australian.
Although the role of Patek in the facilitation of the attacks cannot be understated, he has recently apologised for his actions.
“I apologise not only to the people in Bali in particular but I also apologise to all Indonesian people,” he said.
“I also sincerely apologise especially to the Australians who also experienced a very great impact from the Bali bombing crime”
“I also apologise to the victims and their families both at home and abroad, whatever their nationality, whatever their ethnicity, whatever their religion, I sincerely apologise to all of them.”
It is important to note that the decision to release Mr Patek on parole was not without controversy.
An Australian who had five of their friends killed in the attacks, Jan Laczynski, expressed his disapproval for the decision to release Mr Patek.
“This guy gets his life back again. For a lot of us we’ll never get our lives back again,” he said.
“It’s appalling. It’s dreadful. It’s wrong.”
The Australian government also stated their views on the matter.
A spokesperson for the Australian Department of Foreign Affaires and Trade said that “Today our thoughts are with the victims and survivors of the Bali bombings and their families.”
“We have registered our concerns about Umar Patek’s release with the Indonesian government on multiple occasions,” they said.
Australian minister for Home Affairs Claire O’Neil said the Australian Government had “put in the strongest possible terms our views about what has occurred, and we have done that clearly”.
