Three bombs exploded in Bali on 12 October 2002 shortly past 11pm.
Two of them were detonated in the busy nightlife area of Kuta - Paddy's Bar and Sari Club - and another one was in front of the American consulate in Denpasar.
This year marks 20 years since the horrific attacks – which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians – and memorial events have been held across Australia and Indonesia.
Despite the decades that have passed, the incident continues to conjure up deep emotions for those directly affected.
The names of 88 Australians, who lost their lives in the 2002 Bali bombings are seen on a plaque at the Bali Memorial at Dolphins Point at Coogee Beach. Source: AAP / MICK TSIKAS/AAPIMAGE
Ms Erniati's husband, I Gede Badrawan, worked as a waiter at the Sari Club, which was a popular night spot for tourists.
On that fateful night, Ms Erniati – who was 30 at the time - was staying in a house just a kilometre from ground zero.
The attacks not only cost her the “backbone” of her young family, but also left her stigmatised, she said.
"Not only did I lose my husband, [but] I was also faced with social problems because of my status as a widow," she said.
“In the family itself, I was about to be returned to my parents, [and] my child custody was about to be taken away from me.”
She told SBS Indonesian that it has taken years of counselling and medication to recover from the trauma of the event.
She faced a period of "prolonged sadness" as she grappled with how to survive as a single parent.
The wife of one of the Bali bombings victims, Ni Luh Erniati, with her two sons. Credit: Supplied/Ni Luh Erniati
Surrounded by fellow survivors and bolstered by the help of volunteers, including support from Australia, Ms Erniati was able to “find strength”.
She learned how to earn money through sewing, which remains a source of income to this day.
How did Indonesia react?
The bombings were carried out by Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a Southeast Asian terrorist group based in Indonesia.
More than 30 people were eventually arrested in connection with the attacks, and three men linked to JI have been executed.
Since the attacks, Indonesia has adopted various efforts to combat domestic terrorism, according to a study published by The Habibie Center in 2019.
These including the Presidential Emergency Decree on the Prevention of Terrorism and implementation of anti-terrorism laws, as well as the establishment of special task forces for terrorism such as Densus 88 and BNPT, the country's national counter terrorism agency.
Professor Lukman Thahir is a terrorism expert from Datokarama State Islamic University in Palu, Indonesia's Central Sulawesi.
He said the response to the Bali bombings was a reflection of Indonesia's “seriousness” in dealing with the issue of terrorism.
But he urged the government to remain “vigilant” because Indonesia is still seen as an attractive location for some radical groups.
A mourner prayed and turn on candle around the wall name of victim's at the Bali bombing monument on October 12, 2019 in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia. Source: NurPhoto / NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
"The community [must] become an inseparable part of the process of preventing terrorism," he added.
Back in 2002, Sydneysider Dewi Booth worked at Sunrise Bali International School with her husband Philip.
She was pregnant with their first child and living three kilometres from the site of the blast when it happened.
As a Muslim, Ms Booth said the bombings in no way represented her faith.
That's terrorism. I'm a Muslim too, so it's just [an act of] crazy people who claim to be Muslims. But real Muslims are not like that.Dewi Booth
“Yes, they may be Muslim because they do salat [daily prayers], read Qur'an and so on. But maybe they have become what we call extremists, who are hard-line, have goals that are too far and stray."
Philip was unable to continue his working contract with the school after the bombings due to the economic repercussions that followed.
Dewi Booth was pregnant with her first child, Toby, when she and his husband Philip lived in Bali in 2002. This picture was taken a year later. Credit: Supplied/Dewi Booth
20 years has passed, is there still anger?
The attacks in Bali represent the single largest loss of Australian life due to an act of terror.
Despite the attacks, members of the Balinese community in Australia weren’t subjected to shows of resentment in the aftermath, said Nyoman Budi from the Balinese Community of NSW.
"From my personal experience, they [Australians] actually support us positively. They even feel sorry for us,” he said.
Mr Budi, who has lived in Australia for more than 30 years, was working for Qantas at the time of the attacks.
The bombings took place in his hometown, only several hundred metres from his family's home.
Mr Budi, who is a mangku (similar to a priest) within the Hindu community, believes there are “life lessons” that can be learnt from the tragedy, and that there should never be prolonged animosity between Australia and Indonesia.
He cited the rule of karmaphala, which loosely translates to "fruits of actions".
"This incident is a phala for all of us to introspect ourselves, that we can learn from the incident, so it won't happen again.
“It is the law of karmaphala that will work," he concluded.
Ms Erniati and other victims’ families visit the bombing site each year to pray for their loved ones.
Although the tragedy has changed her life forever, she said she doesn't harbour anger because it “will only hurt her and limit her steps ahead”.
What I'm focussing on now is how to make my life and my children's lives even better in the future.Ni Luh Erniati
Memorial services are planned at Parliament House in Canberra and also at the Australian Consulate General in Bali on 12 October.
Meanwhile in Sydney, Randwick City Council will hold a memorial service at the Bali Memorial in Dolphins Point, Coogee, on the same day.
Additional reporting by Nurhadi Sucahyo.
