SMH - December 9, 2006
Newsmen killed 'on Indonesian military orders'
Hamish McDonald
A DRAMATIC new lead into the deaths of five Australia-based newsmen in Balibo, East Timor, 31 years ago suggests they were captured and executed on the orders of Indonesian generals.
Testimony by two former Australian government lawyers - hitherto suppressed by Canberra inquiries - will be presented at a Sydney inquest into the deaths starting in February.
The two lawyers, George Brownbill and Ian Cunliffe, were staff assisting the late Justice Robert Hope in his royal commission into the intelligence services when they visited the highly secret Defence Signals Directorate listening station at Shoal Bay, near Darwin, in 1977.
They were approached by a young DSD staff member who said: "I think you should see this."
He showed them the decoded and translated text of an Indonesian military signal from the special forces group that captured the village of Balibo from pro-independence Fretilin forces on October 16, 1975.
Mr Brownbill recalled that the message was to the effect that "according to instructions" the five newsmen had been located and executed. The Indonesian officer asked Jakarta what should be done with their bodies and equipment.
Mr Cunliffe said the message made it clear the newsmen had not been killed inadvertently by crossfire "but rather that they were taken and executed".
The five newsmen - Greg Shackleton, 27, Tony Stewart, 21, and Gary Cunningham, 27, a New Zealander - all from Channel Seven - and Malcolm Rennie, 28, and Brian Peters, 29, both Britons, and from Channel Nine, were killed in the attack.
Mr Brownbill and Mr Cunliffe recalled the Indonesian message in statements to the Canberra-appointed investigator Tom Sherman in his second inquiry into the Balibo deaths, held in 1999 at the request of the Howard Government.
In his report Mr Sherman did not give the contents of the message, but mentioned it and played down its significance, suggesting it was a mistranslation.
The later inquiry by the former inspector-general of intelligence and security Bill Blick, in 2001-02, failed to locate a record of the message in the DSD archives or find the "young person" who showed it to the Hope commission lawyers.
However, the lawyers' testimony to Mr Sherman is understood to be among evidence about to be presented to the deputy NSW coroner Dorelle Pinch, who will open the new inquest.
The Brownbill-Cunliffe testimony, which has been partly disclosed by The Daily Telegraph today, will undercut the Sherman and Blick reports, raising suspicions that Canberra is trying to conceal evidence that Indonesian soldiers murdered the newsmen.
The inquest is the result of a campaign by Sydney lawyers, and is the first independent inquiry with powers to compel witnesses. It is being held in NSW because the lawyers argued successfully that the state's jurisdiction applied to the unexplained death of Brian Peters, as he was a Sydney resident, even though a British citizen.
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AAP - Friday December 8, 11:38 PM
Balibo five were executed: report
A lawyer says he will give evidence that five Australian journalists killed in East Timor in 1975 were executed on the orders of Indonesian military chiefs.
George Brownbill's account of the deaths in Balibo contradicts the official line that the five men were caught in a crossfire while covering Indonesia's invasion of East Timor.
News Ltd reports that Mr Brownbill will be called to give evidence at an inquest into the deaths to be held at the NSW Coroners Court early next year.
Mr Brownbill says he saw a top secret report of radio traffic between an officer commanding Indonesian forces in East Timor and his superiors in Jakarta.
Intercepted just hours after the deaths, News Ltd reports it said: "In accordance with your instructions" the five had been located and shot.
The officer then asked for orders about what to do with the bodies and their personal effects. The bodies were looted and burned.
Nine Network cameraman Brian Peters, 29, and reporter Malcolm Rennie, 28, Seven Network reporter Greg Shackleton, 27, cameraman Gary Cunningham, 27, and sound recordist Tony Stewart, 21, all died at Balibo on October 16, 1975.
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sábado, dezembro 09, 2006
Notícias - em inglês
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Notícias - em inglês
SMH - Dezembro 9, 2006
Jornalistas mortos 'por ordens dos militares Indonésios'
Hamish McDonald
Uma notícia dramática sobre a morte de cinco jornalistas com base na Austrália em Balibo, Timor-Leste, há 31 anos atrás sugere que foram capturados e executados por ordem de generais Indonésios.
Testemunhos de dois antigos advogados do governo Australiano – até agora reprimidos pos inquéritos em Canberra – serão apresentados num inquérito judicial em Sydney sobre as mortes a começar em Fevereiro.
Os dois advogados, George Brownbill e Ian Cunliffe, estavam na equipa que assistia o antigo membro da Justiça Robert Hope na sua comissão real sobre os serviços de informações quando visitaram a muito encoberta estação de escuta Directorado de Sinais de Defesa na Baia Shoal Bay, perto de Darwin, em 1977.
Foram abordados por um jovem membro do pessoal do DSD que disse: "Penso que deviam ver isto."
Ele mostrou-lhes um texto descodificado e traduzido de um programa militar Indonésio do grupo de forças especiais que capturara a aldeia de Balibo das forças pró-independência da Fretilin em 16 de Outubro de 1975.
O Sr Brownbill lembra-se que a mensagem referia que "de acordo com instruções " os cinco jornalistas tinham sido localizados e executados. O oficial Indonésio perguntava a Jakarta o que é que devia ser feito com os seus corpos e equipamentos.
O Sr Cunliffe disse que a mensagem deixava claro que os jornalistas não tinham sido mortos de forma não intencional por fogo cruzado "mas antes, tinham sido apanhados e executados ".
Os cinco jornalistas - Greg Shackleton, 27, Tony Stewart, 21, e Gary Cunningham, 27, um Neo-zelandês – todos do Channel Seven - e Malcolm Rennie, 28, e Brian Peters, 29, ambos Britânicos e do Channel Nine, foram mortos no ataque.
O Sr Brownbill e o Sr Cunliffe lembraram a mensagem Indonésia em declarações ao investigador nomeado por Canberra Tom Sherman no seu segundo inquérito às mortes de Balibo, realizado em 1999 a pedido do Governo Howard.
No seu relatório, o Sr Sherman não pôs o conteúdo da mensagem, mas mencionou-a e desvalorizou o seu significado, sugerindo que era uma tradução errada.
O último inquérito pelo antigo inspector-geral de informações e seguranças Bill Blick, em 2001-02, falhou localizar uma cópia da mensagem nos arquivos do DSD e encontrar a "pessoa jovem " que a mostrara aos advogados da comissão Hope.
Contudo, o testemunho dos advogados ao Sr Sherman é entendido que estará entre as evidências que vão ser apresentadas ao Vice NSW investigador Dorelle Pinch, que abrirá o novo inquérito.
O testemunho Brownbill-Cunliffe, que foi hoje parcialmente revelado pelo The Daily Telegraph, enfraquecerá os relatos de Sherman e Blick, levantando suspeitas que Canberra está a tentar esconder evidência que os soldados Indonésios assassinaram os jornalistas.
O inquérito é o resultado de uma campanha de advogados de Sydney, e é o primeiro inquérito independente com poderes para forçar testemunhas. Realiza-se em NSW porque os avogados argumentaram com sucesso que é a jurisdição do Estado que se aplica à morte não explicada de Brian Peters, porque ele residia em Sydney, mesmo apesar de ser um cidadão britânico.
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AAP – Sexta-feira, Dezembro 8, 11:38 PM
Reportagem: os cinco de Balibo foram executados
Um advogado diz que dará evidência que cinco jornalistas Australianos mortos em Timor-Leste em 1975 foram executados por ordens de chefes militares Indonésios.
O relato de George Brownbill das mortes em Balibo contradiz a linha oficial que os cinco foram apanhados num fogo cruzado quando cobriam a invasão Indonésia de Timor-Leste.
News Ltd relata que o Sr Brownbill será chamado para dar evidência num inquérito judicial sobre as mortes que se realizará no Tribunal de Investigadores de NSW no princípio do próximo ano.
O Sr Brownbill diz que viu um relato muito secreto de rádio entre um oficial comandante das forças Indonésias em Timor-Leste e os seus superiores em Jakarta.
Interceptado horas depois das mortes, News Ltd relata que diz: "De acordo com as vossas instruções " os cinco tinham sido localizados e baleados.
O oficial perguntou então quais as ordens sobre o que fazer com os corpos e os seus pertences pessoais. Os corpos foram pilhados e queimados.
Da Nine Network, o cameraman Brian Peters, de 29anos, e o repórter Malcolm Rennie, de 28 anos, da Seven Network, o repórter Greg Shackleton, de 27 anos, o cameraman Gary Cunningham, de 27anos e o gravador de som Tony Stewart, de 21 anos, morreram todos em Balibo em 16 de Outubro, 1975.
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This is an interesting piece in the midst of this crisis. One has to ask: Why is it that these journalists were killed? The answer simply, they were reporting on the impending invasion and had to be silenced, so that they could report that the invasion was in fact by the Indonesian Army and not by Timorese "anti-communists" as was being reported. It was a deceit which was being reported widely and these journalists had to be stopped before the world knew about it. The fact that they were silenced pathed the way for an easier integration by Indonesia of East Timor.
Today, in the midst of a crisis, East Timor is eeing the same old faces involved in the attack on the nation; including the same people who were responsible for for aiding and abetting the invasion and the invador.
Former PNTL Commander (yes former, wait a bit and you will all see why) was one of the Timorese "partisans" who went across the border to train and returned to Balibo and was involved in the operation which ended the lives of the journalists. He has put forward a version on his part in the operation which is recounted in Jollife's "Cover Up" which is about the Balibo 5.
The fact remains, at that point in history, Paulo fatima Martins was with the invador and helped to bring about the deaths of the journalists.
Mario Carrascalao was just on the other side of the border helping and coordinating with the Indonesians on the invasion which they invited the Indonesians to undertake.
Leandro Isaac was another UDT partisan who participated in the operation and thereby the death of the five journalists.
Today, there is plenty of evidence that these men are behind the violence to destabilise the nation. The same faces with the same objective.....destroy East Timor's sovereignty and independence.
Leandro Isaac was according to one journalistic source been spotted meeting with the martial arts groups 7-7 and Cinto Culau and other Loromonu based martial arts groups just before the erruption of the recent wave of violence. With this background since 1975, he was not it seems trying to convince them to cease with their orgy of violence. To the contrary, he was winding them up, just as he did in April and May when they attacked the Taibessi markets and burnt it down, when he was spotted and filmed being at the Government Palace at the time of the outbreak of violence on 28 April 2006 and just as in 1975 when he lead murderous crusades against pro-independence Timorese. Then what he go onto do? He wnet on to become a member of parliament. His conversion to pro-independence came only in 1998...of late. The Indonesians will never forgive him for that betrayal after giving him so much. This is the fate of those who sell out the contries they serve and when they stand for nothing. Destruction of hard earnt institutions and belief systems becomes their modus operandi.
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