Timor Leste president meets Indonesian parliament leaders

UPDATED: 20:07, December 15, 2006
Source: Xinhua


Timor Leste President Xanana Gusmao visited Indonesia Friday to meet parliament leaders and have talks on bilateral cooperation.

He was greeted by House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Agung Laksono and People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Chairman Hidayat Nurwahid.

During the meeting, the Timor Leste leader asked its neighbor to expand investment and send lecturers to his country.

"Xanana asked Indonesia to send more lecturers to help improve education in Timor Leste," Nurwahid told reporters after the meeting.

On economic area, Xanana called for more investments from Indonesia to help open more jobs and widen export access to European countries and the United States, said Nurwahid.

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Balibo coroner in plea on spies

The Australian
David King
December 16, 2006

INTELLIGENCE officers who intercepted top-secret transmissions from the Indonesian military could be called to give evidence at the coronial inquest into the death of the Balibo five.
NSW Coroner Dorelle Pinch said yesterday she would examine the role the Indonesian military played in the death of the five newsmen in East Timor in 1975, after it emerged that radio intercepts suggested the Australians had been executed by Indonesian forces.

Ms Pinch urged radio operators and others who worked at the Defence Signals Directorate at Shoal Bay receiving station in Darwin between October 14 and October 20, 1975, to come forward. She also wanted to speak to anyone who worked at the station on March 4, 1977, and provided a document to George Brownbill and Ian Cunliffe, then officers with the Hope Royal Commission into intelligence and security.

Mr Brownbill and Mr Cunliffe were reportedly shown an intercepted Indonesian signal that disclosed an order to execute the five men.

A Department of Defence spokesman said last night any defence personnel "would still be bound by official secrecy provisions" but this would not prevent them from appearing at the inquest.

Neil James, executive director of the Australia Defence Association, said the requirements of the court would win out over secrecy concerns.

He said the Attorney-General and the court would have to decide what evidence was relevant and how it would be given in court without disclosing national secrets.

The inquest is into the death of Nine Network cameraman Brian Peters, who was one of five journalists killed during an attack on the Timorese border town of Balibo in October 1975.

Official reports said Peters and the four others - Greg Shackleton, Gary Cunningham, Tony Stewart and Malcolm Rennie - died in crossfire.

But a 1999 statement given by Mr Brownbill reportedly contradicts that version of events.

Media reports last week said Mr Brownbill and Mr Cunliffe were shown an Indonesian military signal that said words to the effect of "according to instructions" the five had been located and executed.

Gough Whitlam may still testify, with Ms Pinch refusing to rule out calling on the former prime minister to give evidence on the "intentions of the Indonesian government". The inquest resumes next year.

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O investigador deixa a porta aberta para intimar Whitlam

(Tradução da Margarida)

ABC News Online
Última actualização: Sexta-feira, Dezembro 15, 2006. 2:47pm (AEDT)

O vice-investigador de New South Wales deixou aberta a possibilidade de o antigo primeiro-ministro Gough Whitlam poder ser chamado para dar evidência no inquérito judicial às mortes de cinco jornalistas Australianos em Timor-Leste em 1975.

Um advogado da família de um dos jornalistas disse ontem no Tribunal de Investigação de Glebe que havia evidência de que o Governo soube da intenção da Indonésia de invadir Timor-Leste e que tinha a obrigação de avisar os cinco de Balibo.

Disse que o Sr Whitlam precisava de revelar se teve pessoalmente conhecimento dos relatórios dos serviços de informações.

O vice-investigador do Estado Dorelle Pinch determinou que a extensão do inquérito judicial não será alargado para incluir se o Governo estava obrigado a proteger os homens e portanto o Sr Whitlam não será chamado para dar evidência nessa matéria.

Mas disse que o conhecimento do Governo Indonésio dos homens e as suas intenções eram relevantes, e não descartou o Sr Whitlam de dar evidência nesse tópico.
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