Australians probe 30-year-old death of reporter in E. Timor
Australians probe 30-year-old death of reporter in E. Timor
Agence France-Presse, Sydney, Australia
An Australian coroner agreed on Tuesday to open an inquest into
the death of a journalist killed along with four others while
covering an attack by Indonesian troops on a Timor Leste town in
1975.
Television cameraman Brian Peters was one of five Australian-
based journalists killed during the attack on the Timorese border
town of Balibo in October 1975.
Official reports maintained the men -- Greg Shackleton, Gary
Cunningham, Tony Stewart, Malcolm Rennie and Peters -- were
killed in crossfire, but their families insist there was a cover-
up and they were murdered by the Indonesians.
There have been two inquiries into the incident, in 1996 and
1999, but no formal inquests have been held.
Peters' sister, Maureen Tolfree, requested the inquest a year
ago and New South Wales state coroner John Abernethy agreed on
Tuesday to hear the case.
Tolfree's lawyer Robert Dubler said he believed there are as
yet unheard eyewitnesses to the deaths and he hopes the inquest
will travel to Timor Leste, which gained its independence from
Indonesia in 2002, to hear their evidence.
"The deaths of the Balibo Five have been controversial and,
despite occurring some 30 years ago, have been the subject of
continuing public interest," Dubler said.
"Given the additional new material which is now available ...
an inquest will necessarily provide greater illumination of the
circumstances surrounding the deaths than has hitherto been
provided to the Australian public and relatives of the deceased,"
he said.
Indonesia launched a full-scale invasion of Timor Leste on
Dec. 7, 1975.
Abernethy said his inquest would not look into political
aspects of the Indonesian invasion, which occurred just nine days
after the former Portuguese colony declared itself independent
from Lisbon.
"I'm not conducting an inquest into any events of 1975 ...
these are far too remote in terms of manner and cause of death,"
he said. "I will be looking at whether Mr. Peters was in fact
murdered and if so, by whom."
Abernethy adjourned the case until Dec. 9, with the inquest
expected to begin early next year.