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UK royals lead Bali memorial
LONDON, England -- Queen Elizabeth II has led hundreds of mourners at a memorial service in London's St Paul's Cathedral to remember the victims of the Bali bomb. The congregation at Friday's emotional service was told that the killing of nearly 200 people in the attack had left Australians brokenhearted, but not broken-spirited. Australian high commissioner, Michael L'Estrange, said the days since the October 12 killings had been for Australians a "dark night of the soul. Shock and disbelief at the scale of this tragedy have given way to pain and grief." Of the victims, he added: "They were people from different lands and background. "They were families on holiday; they were sporting teams on end-of-season tours; they were people of all ages, with many of them enjoying the promise of their youth; they were community-minded people; and they were openhearted men and women who loved life and lived it to the full." He said the attack had "left us brokenhearted, but it has not broken our spirit. "We have been saddened beyond belief, but we have been drawn together beyond measure." The queen was accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip -- who gave a reading from Matthew -- and eldest son, Prince Charles. Up to 2,000 people, including 79 relatives of Australian victims and 200 friends and family of British victims, were at the service. Among them was Craig Grimshaw, a 36-year-old from Sydney, who said his brother and his family had only narrowly escaped being caught up in the blast. He said: "I'm just here to provide some support." Adette Kagan, 35, from eastern Sydney, said: "Most of my area was affected.I know of some people (who died)." A sermon was read by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, while Russell Ward, a British fireman caught up in the Bali bombing, lit a candle of remembrance. Carey said: "The lives of hundreds of people were cruelly and tragically shattered by two car bombs, which ripped apart the Kuta Beach resort. "Almost two weeks have passed since those terrible events but around the world feelings of shock and outrage remain strong; grief and loss experienced by so many, raw-edged and deeply painful. "We grieve ... with the great nation of Australia whose burden of loss is so appalling.
"So many of its citizens killed and badly injured in a senseless, inhuman and cowardly attack." He added: "We should be in no doubt that such acts of terrorism attack the very roots of everything that civilised people hold dear -- freedom to think and express ourselves, freedom to choose and freedom to live in safety and tranquillity. "Equally, such evildoers should be in no doubt that the civilised world will defend these precious values and freedoms; and will seek to bring to justice all who carry out such despicable deeds." Mike Bryant, 30, from Sydney -- who has been living in London for two years, and whose cousin Jason Stokes, 31, of the Kingsley football team from Perth, western Australia, is still missing -- described the service. He said: "I found it very touching. I liked the points made about how Australians come here and how people from Australia are very positive and open-hearted, and how we mustn't lose that spirit, and not to let the people who did this get what they want." The Thai holiday island of Phuket is at risk of a terrorist attack according to information obtained by Australia, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said on Friday. (Full story)
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