Sherman Report said to contain no solid evidence

Sherman Report said to contain no solid evidence

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta issued yesterday a formal statement
saying that the Sherman Report provided no new information that
would prompt government to reconsider its position that the six
foreign journalists killed in East Timor in 1976 died in
crossfire between warring factions.

"We believe the report has not presented any factual or solid
evidence that could shed further light on the circumstances
surrounding the deaths of the five journalists in Balibo since it
largely consists of data based on secondhand information or
hearsay," it said in a statement.

Issued by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the
statement was of the assumption that the additional information
provided in the report did not contradict the government's basic
position.

Jakarta has maintained that the six foreign journalists who
died in East Timor were caught in crossfire.

An Australian commission lead by National Crime Authority
Chairman Tom Sherman last month concluded a six-month long
inquiry and reported that the journalists were probably killed by
Indonesian troops.

Five journalists -- Gary J. Cunningham, Greg J. Shackleton,
Tony Stewart, Malcolm Harvie Rennie and Brian Peters -- were
killed in Balibo, East Timor on Oct. 16, 1975. While another,
freelance journalist Roger East, was allegedly executed in Dili
two months later.

The former Portuguese colony of East Timor became part of
Indonesia in 1976. The United Nations still recognizes Portugal
as the territory's administrator.

Portugal, which colonized East Timor for about 450 years,
abruptly left East Timor in 1975 following a civil war in the
territory.

Indonesia said yesterday that Sherman himself in his report
admitted much of the information on Balibo "was of poor quality
in evidentiary terms".

It further pointed out that Sherman acknowledges that "no
eyewitness to the actual killing of the Balibo five has emerged"
and that "there are a considerable number of inconsistencies
between the testimonies".

The credibility of the witnesses themselves were called into
question as Sherman said in his report, "many of the persons
providing information has little affection for Indonesia".

More importantly the statement noted that the journalists were
reporting from an active war zone and that they had been warned
several times of the dangers facing them.

"While it is unfortunate that these deaths occurred, it is a
fact that East Timorese at the time were embroiled in a tragic
civil war in which many people died," the statement said.

The foreign ministry statement concluded by saying that
further investigation would not clear up the ambiguity nor serve
any positive purpose.

"While it is unfortunate the tragic incident occurred, we
should be realistic and consider the matter closed," it said,
adding that continued investigation would only rekindle the grief
of the journalists' families and the people of East Timor.

"We ask that the people of Australia join their Indonesian
neighbors in honoring all those who sacrificed their lives during
this dark period in East Timor's history," it said.(mds)