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October 21, 2014

Australian Police Drop Probe into 1975 Murder of 5 Journalists by Indonesian Forces 
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In news from Indonesia, Australian authorities have announced they are
dropping an investigation into the deaths of five Australian journalists
killed in the lead-up to the Indonesian invasion of East Timor in 1975.
In 2009, an Indonesian officer admitted the military had killed the
journalists in an attempt to hide its actions in East Timor. This is one
of the journalists, Australian TV correspondent Greg Shackleton, in a
report he sent the night before he was killed.

Greg Shackleton: "'Why,' they ask, 'are the Indonesians invading us?'
'Why,' they ask, 'if Indonesians believe that Fretilin is communist, do
they not send a delegation to Dili to find out?' 'Why,' they ask, 'are
the Australians not helping us? When the Japanese invaded, they did help
us.' 'Why,' they ask, 'are the Portuguese not helping us? We're still a
Portuguese colony.' 'Who,' they ask, 'will pay for the terrible damage
to our homes?'"

In 2007, an Australian coroner found Shackleton and the four other
journalists were executed by Indonesian special forces in the town of
Balibo. But today, the Australian Federal Police said there was
"currently insufficient evidence to prove an offense."

 

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