SYDNEY - THE executions of three Islamists over the 2002 bombings of Bali nightclubs was a 'terrible reminder' of the attacks which left 88 Australians dead, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said on Sunday.

But Mr Smith, whose government opposes the death penalty, said the overnight death by firing squad of bombers Amrozi, Mukhlas and Imam Samudra could bring some relief to Australian victims and their families.

'It's not a day which fills us with any joy or with any celebration,' Mr Smith said in a television interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Mr Smith said his first thoughts were for the families of those affected by the blasts, which struck a crowded nightclub strip on the resort island in 2002, and for those caught up in further deadly bombings there in October 2005.

'It's just, in my view, a terrible reminder of a terrible, horrible event that occurred to family members,' he said.

'It's a terrible day for the families. For some it will bring some form of closure.'

Mr Smith said he had 'nothing but contempt for what the Bali bombers did and what they had to say when they were alive.'

His comments were backed by the opposition conservative Liberal Party, which commended Indonesia for the 'first class job' they had done in dealing with the issue over the past six years.

'I think it might hopefully give a lot of people in Australia a sense of closure,' spokesman Andrew Robb told Network Ten.

'I do hope that there are no reprisals though.' -- AFP

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