Judicial inquiry sought

We believe that the time has come for a full judicial inquiry, with broad terms of reference, into the murder of the Balibo Five journalists, Gary Cunningham, Brian Peters, Malcolm Rennie, Greg Shackleton and Tony Stewart, on Oct. 16, 1975, and Roger East, killed in Dili seven weeks later.

The lives of East Timorese are valuable. Many have died, and East Timorese are still dying in camps inside Indonesia. The reason we believe the Balibo murders in particular must be resolved is to bring to account those within our own political system responsible for the collusion with the Soeharto regime detailed in Hamish McDonald's and Des Ball's recent book. Death in Balibo, Lies in Canberra.

The killing of the journalists was pivotal, locking our foreign policy into what was already a pro-Jakarta line, still promoted by Richard Woolcott and the Jakarta lobby.

Now, as in 1975, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade works outside democratic control. If the future is to be different, with fewer terrible derelictions in foreign policy, there must be a full judicial inquiry into the Balibo Five and Roger East killings.

STEPHEN LANGFORD

Secretary

Australia East Timor Association

NSW, Australia