A service to mark today's 10th anniversary of the Bali bombing in which three New Zealanders died was a moving reminder of the tragedy, Foreign Minister Murray McCully says.
Mr McCully was among the hundreds who gathered in Bali today to pay tribute to the 202 people who were killed when a bomb ripped through a popular nightspot in downtown Kuta in 2002, just over a year after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US.
New Zealanders Mark Parker and Jared Gane, both 27, and Jamie Wellington, 31, were killed in the blast.
"The service was a moving reminder of the tragedy that affected so many nations,'' Mr McCully said.
"I was grateful for the chance to pay respects to New Zealand victims and their families, and to acknowledge once again the terrible losses suffered especially by Australia and Indonesia.''
Australia had the largest number of foreign casualties, with 88 dead.
Mr Gane's Australian-based relatives attended today's service with the Australian delegation, while at least eight New Zealanders who were injured or suffered lasting trauma were also present.
After the service, Mr McCully hosted a morning tea for some of the New Zealanders injured in the bombing.
The official New Zealand delegation to the commemoration at Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park included the New Zealand Ambassador to Indonesia and staff of the New Zealand embassy.
The service was also attended by Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Australian Opposition leader Tony Abbott and John Howard _ who was the Australian prime minister at the time of the bombing.
Senior Indonesian dignitaries included Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi, and Bali Governor I Made Mangku Pastika.
Mr McCully said Indonesia had come to grips with the problem of home-grown terrorism in the decade since the bombing.
"All of Indonesia's friends are delighted that such progress has been made in the campaign to end attacks of this kind.''
