Archive Article: The Ghosts Of Balibo. November 03
December 22, 2008

The largest loss of life ever sustained by the Australian media industry took place on October 16, 1975 at the East Timor village of Balibo. Five journalists were killed. All the governments that had citizens involved in the deaths have refused to reveal all that they know.

In 1974, the Portuguese military rebelled and overthrew their government in Lisbon. The cost of fighting their African colonial wars was bankrupting the country and wrecking the military. The new Portuguese Government wanted to get out of East Timor as quickly as possible.

East Timor was in the middle of the island chain of Indonesia. Indonesia was worried that a flourishing democracy could create an incentive for parts of its own country also to seek independence. It invaded to stop a flourishing independent East Timor. Indonesia’s policy was endorsed by Australia’s Labor Government.

The 1975 Indonesian invasion of East Timor was one of the 20th century’s biggest wars – in terms of the per capita deaths. The official date of the invasion is usually given as December 7. But five journalists knew the date as being October 6. They were killed before their story could get to the outside world. At the end of last month, the house where they stayed at in Balibo was opened as a community centre for the purposes of health, sport and education. Present at the ceremony were Xanana Gusmao, the East Timorese President, and Steve Bracks, the Victorian Premier (whose government has financed the restoration).

Also present at the ceremony were members of the Australian Section of the International Commission of Jurists. Section President The Hon John Dowd reported to this month’s meeting of the Section on the ceremony.

The ceremony was attended by about 2,500 people. Noticeably absent was the Australian Ambassador, who had a sudden unplanned holiday. There was no representative of the Australian Government. There is continuing controversy over how the journalists died. The original Indonesian explanation was that they were killed in the crossfire between rival East Timorese Groups (the Indonesians could not of course admit that they were present inside East Timor). An East Timorese explanation was that they were killed by Indonesians during the fight. Other East Timorese argued that they were executed after the Fretilin survivors had fled and the fighting had ceased: they knew too much to be allowed to live. The Australian Government has always known more about Balibo than it has admitted. Australia was implicated in the Indonesian invasion from the outset. In the middle of October 1975 Australian embassy officials in Jakarta were secretly briefed by an Indonesian official on the impending attack. This was an early warning to give Australia enough time to prepare its response to the news of the invasion.

During the invasion, the Australian intelligence service was secretly listening to the Indonesian military radio conversations – including the discussion over what to do with the dead bodies. But this could not be publicised for fear of letting the Indonesians know that they were being monitored.

The International Commission of Jurists has had East Timor on its agenda since 1975. It is still pressing for a full official enquiry into the deaths of the journalists.

Broadcast Friday 28th November 2003 on Radio 2GB’s “Brian Wilshire Programme” at 9pm.