Call for new inquiry into journalists' deaths in East Timor

By Susan Price MELBOURNE — On October 25, a new call was made for the Australian government to launch an open, independent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of six Australian journalists in East Timor, in 1975. The demand came from Shirley Shackleton, the widow of one of the journalists, Greg Shackleton, and from Paul Stewart, brother of Tony Stewart, another of the journalists. Several eyewitness reports indicate that five of the journalists were intentionally killed by Indonesian troops in Balibo and not killed accidentally in cross-fire, as was claimed at the time. Further eyewitness reports indicate that Roger East, the sixth journalist, was executed by Indonesian soldiers at the Dili wharf. Two former Timorese Democratic Union (UDT) soldiers, now in Australia, said on Australian television on October 25 that Indonesian officers involved in the killing of the journalists at Balibo had told them that the killings were deliberate. (In 1975, the UDT was allied to the invading Indonesian army. It has since joined the independence movement.) According to Peter Cronau, director of the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism, Canberra has kept information about the Balibo killings from the public and the families of the journalists. Foreign minister Gareth Evans has repeatedly denied these claims. "By 7pm on the day the journalists died, the then-defence minister Bill Morrison had written report on his desk, describing the deaths", said Cronau. A former Australian military intelligence officer has revealed that his unit had monitored Indonesian military radio communications at the time. Shackleton and Stewart are calling on Canberra to make available all involved personnel and documentation related to the events. They are also demanding that the terms of reference for the inquiry include:

• any knowledge the Australian government had of the attack on the border area of Balibo, before, during and afterwards;

• what steps the government took to ensure the safety of the six journalists;

• what prevented or delayed the government from revealing to the public and the journalists' families, the fate of the journalists;

• what efforts the government made to investigate the events surrounding their deaths; and

• what communications the government has had with the Indonesian government over the deaths of the journalists.

"The highest people in the land look like they've perjured themselves. I won't have anything to do with anything else but a full, judicial inquiry, with punishment for contempt of court", Shackleton told Green Left Weekly. "The terms of reference have to be set down by lawyers and it has to be seen as firm and believable. Otherwise we are wasting our time. We don't just want another bit of clever manipulation. A Royal Commission is the only way to go, we cannot settle for a lesser inquiry", concluded Shackleton.