Balibo Five

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The Balibo Five was a group of journalists for Australian television networks who were based in the town of Balibo in East Timor (then Portuguese Timor) who were killed on October 16, 1975 by Indonesian troops mounting incursions, prior to the Indonesian invasion on December 7 that year.^[1]

Contents 1 The group 2 Advocacy 3 2007 Inquest into death of Brian Peters 4 Feature film 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] The group

The group was made up of two Australians, reporter Greg Shackleton, 27, and sound recordist Tony Stewart, 21, and a New Zealander, cameraman Gary Cunningham, 27, for HSV-7 (Seven Network) in Melbourne, and two Britons, cameraman Brian Peters, 29, and reporter Malcolm Rennie, 28, working for TCN-9 (Nine Network) in Sydney.^[1][2][3]

While the men were aware that Indonesian troops were to mount an attack on the town, they believed that as Australian journalists, they would not be considered military targets. Greg Shackleton was filmed painting an Australian flag and the word 'AUSTRALIA' on the wall of a house.^[1]

The Indonesian military justified its killing of the camera crews on the grounds that they were 'communists', and sympathisers with the FRETILIN party in Portuguese Timor; however most historians think they were killed to prevent them exposing the Indonesian incursions. The men's remains were taken to Jakarta for burial, without the consent of their families.

The level of prior knowledge within the Australian government of Indonesian plans to attack Balibo and target journalists to prevent Indonesian military involvement being demonstrated is debated. ^[4]

[edit] Advocacy

Greg Shackleton's widow, Shirley, became an outspoken supporter of East Timor's fight for independence in Australia. Other relatives were so traumatised by the event that for many years they did not pursue the matter any further. It was not until 1994, that Brian Peters' sister, Maureen Tolfree, became involved with the East Timor issue, having heard of a demonstration in her home town of Bristol against the sale of BAE Hawk fighter jets to Indonesia.^[5]

Malcolm Rennie's mother, Minna, later became involved with the issue until her death, as did his cousin Margaret Wilson.^[6]

In 2006, the International Press Institute sent a letter to United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, to express concern that UN investigators had failed to fully investigate the deaths of the Balibo Five, as well as 3 other journalists killed in Timor-Leste in 1975 and 1999, and to request that the UN reopen their investigations.^[3]

[edit] 2007 Inquest into death of Brian Peters

On 5 February 2007, the New South Wales (NSW) Coroner's Court began an inquest into the death of Brian Peters.^[7]

On the first day of the inquest, Yunus Yosfiah, former Minister for Information in the Habibie Government in Indonesia in 1998 and 1999, was alleged to have led the attack in Balibo, in 1975. Allegations of the journalists' bodies being placed, after death, into military uniforms and posed with weapons to make them appear active in the fighting were raised by counsel assisting Dorelle Pinch, the deputy state coroner. Media reports claim that an Indonesian military radio communication, "As directed or in accordance with your instructions, five journalists have been located and shot", was intercepted by DSD in 1975 and will be presented by two witnesses^[7].

An eyewitness account describes seeing the men with their arms raised before shots were fired (by Indonesian special forces):

"At this point Indonesian Army Captain Yunus Yosfiah and his team shot the journalists who were unarmed with their hands in the air," a police witness statement said.

"I saw them shoot. A lot of them were firing. They fired towards the white people."

According to the evidence, the fifth Balibo victim locked himself in a bathroom but was stabbed in the back with a special forces knife when he emerged.

Mark Tedeschi QC, in his closing statement to the inquest, stated, "There is incontrovertible evidence, including eyewitness accounts, that Indonesian troops deliberately killed the Balibo five newsmen. At least three of the journalists were shot after an order was given by Captain Yunus Yosfiah and the fifth man was stabbed by officer Christoforus Da Silva. It is highly unlikely the Captain would have made the decision to kill the newsmen without the sanction of his superior officers. There is enough evidence to refer the case to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions to consider prosecuting two unnamed people for the war crime of wilful killing."^[7]

The NSW coroner investigating held that "The Balibo Five ... were shot and or stabbed deliberately, and not in the heat of battle" in order to silence them from exposing Indonesia's 1975 East Timor invasion.^[8]

[edit] Feature film

A feature film about the killing of the men, to be called Balibo, is under development by Arena Films in Australia, with Robert Connolly as director and David Williamson as screenwriter.^[9] The film is to be based on Cover-Up, by Jill Jolliffe, an Australian journalist who met the men before they were killed. The book has been a source of controversy because of its criticism of some of the people involved in the campaign for justice.^[10] Filming is to begin on June 30, 2008,^[11] with Anthony LaPaglia playing the part of Roger East, another Australian journalist, who went to investigate the deaths of the Balibo Five, only to be killed the day after the Indonesian invasion.^[12]

[edit] See also

• Roger East

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Sunday report on Balibo memorial Nine Network Australia
• BBC Radio 4 Death in East Timor - Interview with Maureen Tolfree
• 'Lest we forget' cartoon by 'Jeff' from 1976
• Press group seeks fresh investigation into Balibo five - IFEX
• DemocracyNow!'s interview with Shackleton's widow, Shirley. "15 Years After East Timor Massacre, Calls for Accountability Continue"
• New focus helps crack Balibo Five film The Australian
• ABC Radio National blogging from Balibo Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• ContentFilm International : Balibo