Balibo Five Totally Explained

Everything about The Balibo Five totally explained

The Balibo Five was a group of journalists for Australian television networks who were based in the town of Balibo in East Timor (then Portuguese Timor) who were killed on October 16, 1975 by Indonesian troops mounting incursions, prior to the Indonesian invasion on December 7 that year.

The group

The group was made up of two Australians, reporter Greg Shackleton, 27, and sound recordist Tony Stewart, 21, and a New Zealander, cameraman Gary Cunningham, 27, for HSV-7 (Seven Network) in Melbourne, and two Britons, cameraman Brian Peters, 29, and reporter Malcolm Rennie, 28, working for TCN-9 (Nine Network) in Sydney.
While the men were aware that Indonesian troops were to mount an attack on the town, they believed that as Australian journalists, they wouldn't be considered military targets. Greg Shackleton was filmed painting an Australian flag and the word 'AUSTRALIA' on the wall of a house.

Advocacy

Greg Shackleton's widow, Shirley, became an outspoken supporter of East Timor's fight for independence in Australia. Other relatives were so traumatised by the event that for many years they didn't pursue the matter any further. It wasn't until 1994, that Brian Peters' sister, Maureen Tolfree, became involved with the East Timor issue, having heard of a demonstration in her home town of Bristol against the sale of BAE Hawk fighter jets to Indonesia.
   Malcolm Rennie's mother, Minna, later became involved with the issue until her death, as did his cousin Margaret Wilson.
   In 2006, the International Press Institute sent a letter to United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, to express concern that UN investigators had failed to fully investigate the deaths of the Balibo Five, as well as 3 other journalists killed in Timor-Leste in 1975 and 1999, and to request that the UN reopen their investigations.
   On the first day of the inquest, Yunus Yosfiah, former Minister for Information in the Habibie Government in Indonesia in 1998 and 1999, was alleged to have led the attack in Balibo, in 1975. Allegations of the journalists' bodies being placed, after death, into military uniforms and posed with weapons to make them appear active in the fighting were raised by counsel assisting Dorelle Pinch, the deputy state coroner. Media reports claim that an Indonesian military radio communication, "As directed or in accordance with your instructions, five journalists have been located and shot", was intercepted by DSD in 1975 and will be presented by two witnesses

Feature film

A feature film about the killing of the men, to be called Balibo, is under development by Arena Films in Australia, with Robert Connolly as director and David Williamson as screenwriter. The film is to be based on Cover-Up, by Jill Jolliffe, an Australian journalist who met the men before they were killed. The book has been a source of controversy because of its criticism of some of the people involved in the campaign for justice. Filming is to begin on June 30 2008, with Anthony LaPaglia playing the part of Roger East, another Australian journalist, who went to investigate the deaths of the Balibo Five, only to be killed the day after the Indonesian invasion.

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