Relatives and friends of those killed in suicide bombings on Bali one year ago have gathered on the Indonesian island to mark the anniversary of the attacks and pay tribute to the victims. 

More than 100 mourners gathered at Jimbaran Bay on Bali Sunday for the ceremony. They read the names of the victims, laid wreaths and scattered flowers on the beach.

Security was tight across the island as people remembered the 15 Indonesians, four Australians and one Japanese killed in triple suicide bombings last year.

Adam Frost, an Australian doctor, was holidaying on Bali when the bombs ripped through two busy restaurants. Frost lost three friends in the blasts and one of his sons was wounded.

“My second son was the only one injured,” he said. ”He was sitting next to people who died, but still just lost his eardrums and had some superficial shrapnel wounds. But there are constant reminders of what happened.”

Frost says his family and friends have gone through many stages of bereavement since the bombings on October 1st 2005. But although they can never forget their loss, he says, they are ready to forgive the attackers and move on.

“Above all, we can’t forget that we lost three friends,” said Frost. ”However, most of us are so grateful that we did survive, that we’ve returned to our usual lives. We also just want to celebrate that we’re still alive.”

Hundreds of mourners also gathered Sunday in the Australian city of Newcastle, the hometown of three of the four Australian victims to mark the anniversary.

Four Islamist militants have received prison sentences of between eight and 18 years for their involvement in the bombings.

But the alleged mastermind of the attack, Noordin Mohamad Top, remains at large. Top is believed to be a senior operator in the regional terror network Jemaah Islamiyah.

The 2005 attacks were the second time the Islamist militant group had targeted the island of Bali. In 2002, they bombed nightclubs there, killing 202 people.

Another memorial service is scheduled on Bali for October 12 to mark the fourth anniversary of those attacks.

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