ID :
79503
Fri, 09/11/2009 - 18:25
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/79503
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RI TO SEND DELEGATION TO A`LIA ABOUT BALIBO CASE
Jakarta, Sept 11 (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Foreign Ministry is to send some of its senior officials to Australia to clarify Indonesia's position on the Balibo case, a spokesman said.
"To Indonesia, the case is one that was closed on the conclusion that the death of the five foreign journalists in Timor Leste in 1975 was an accident," the ministry's spokesperson , Teuku faizasyah, said here on Friday.
In 1975, Timor Leste was known as East Timor, Indonesia's 27th province.
The five foreign journalists concerned were reporter Greg Shackleton (Australia), sound-mixing technician Tony Stewart (Australia), cameraman Gary Cunningham (New Zealand), cameraman Brian Peters (Britain), and reporter Malcolm Rennie (Britain).
According to Indonesia's version of the case, the five journalists were trapped and killed in a cross-fire between two warring camps : one defending and the other opposing East Timor's integration with Indonesia. But the Glebe Coroner's Court in New South Wales at the time concluded the five journalists were killed by the Indonesian military (TNI).
Faizasyah hoped the Australian decision on August 20, 2009 to reopen the Balibo case would not cause harm to Indonesia-Australia bilateral relationships.
Asked about a movie titled "Balibo Five" made by an Australian and circulated in Timor Leste recently, Faizasyah said it was a movie based on fiction. Therefore, he hoped people who had watched the movie would not get trapped in the mistake of mixing real-life facts with fiction.
Earlier, Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono had affirmed the Balibo case was closed 15 years ago.
"It was closed according to the legal system in New South Wales. As far as I know, the case was considered closed 15 years ago. Australia`s attorney general at the time admitted that the Indonesian military had not done anything wrong," he said.
He said the Australian journalists had been warned before that there would be fighting in Balibo and that therefore it was dangerous for them to go there.
"We told the journalists not to enter the area two weeks before the incident," he said.
The minister said that after he became ambassador to Britain, he met with the families of two of the deceased journalists and they said they considered the matter finished.
"I met with their uncles and aunts. According to them, the case was already closed. They only wished to express regrets. At the time as an ambassador, I said `'we share your feelings`," he said.
The minister said he would not so anything in reaction to the New South Wales court`s decision and would refer it to the Indonesian embassy in Australia.
"Now let us just wait for a report from the embassy regarding the Australian court`s decision," he said. ***
"To Indonesia, the case is one that was closed on the conclusion that the death of the five foreign journalists in Timor Leste in 1975 was an accident," the ministry's spokesperson , Teuku faizasyah, said here on Friday.
In 1975, Timor Leste was known as East Timor, Indonesia's 27th province.
The five foreign journalists concerned were reporter Greg Shackleton (Australia), sound-mixing technician Tony Stewart (Australia), cameraman Gary Cunningham (New Zealand), cameraman Brian Peters (Britain), and reporter Malcolm Rennie (Britain).
According to Indonesia's version of the case, the five journalists were trapped and killed in a cross-fire between two warring camps : one defending and the other opposing East Timor's integration with Indonesia. But the Glebe Coroner's Court in New South Wales at the time concluded the five journalists were killed by the Indonesian military (TNI).
Faizasyah hoped the Australian decision on August 20, 2009 to reopen the Balibo case would not cause harm to Indonesia-Australia bilateral relationships.
Asked about a movie titled "Balibo Five" made by an Australian and circulated in Timor Leste recently, Faizasyah said it was a movie based on fiction. Therefore, he hoped people who had watched the movie would not get trapped in the mistake of mixing real-life facts with fiction.
Earlier, Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono had affirmed the Balibo case was closed 15 years ago.
"It was closed according to the legal system in New South Wales. As far as I know, the case was considered closed 15 years ago. Australia`s attorney general at the time admitted that the Indonesian military had not done anything wrong," he said.
He said the Australian journalists had been warned before that there would be fighting in Balibo and that therefore it was dangerous for them to go there.
"We told the journalists not to enter the area two weeks before the incident," he said.
The minister said that after he became ambassador to Britain, he met with the families of two of the deceased journalists and they said they considered the matter finished.
"I met with their uncles and aunts. According to them, the case was already closed. They only wished to express regrets. At the time as an ambassador, I said `'we share your feelings`," he said.
The minister said he would not so anything in reaction to the New South Wales court`s decision and would refer it to the Indonesian embassy in Australia.
"Now let us just wait for a report from the embassy regarding the Australian court`s decision," he said. ***
