Refleksi: Kalau tak keliru Jenderal Sutiyoso dituduh terlibat dalam pembunuhan 5 wartawan ini, sebab turut dalam operasi tersebut
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8166417.stm Page last updated at 08:42 GMT, Friday, 24 July 2009 09:42 UK Indonesia 'tortured' Balibo Five East Timor's President Jose Ramos-Horta has said five foreign journalists who died in Indonesia's 1975 invasion were tortured and shot by the military. He made the allegation at the Melbourne launch of the film Balibo, which depicts their deaths as Indonesia's army crossed into East Timor. Jakarta has always said that they were killed in crossfire with rebels, which Australian governments have accepted. The film shows them being shot on the orders of Indonesian army officers. Mr Ramos Horta was a rebel commander at the time and is a central figure in the film. He said he had looked into the deaths of the "Balibo Five" soon after they were killed in the border town of Balibo. At the Melbourne premiere, he claimed the film was largely accurate, but that its makers were unable to convey the full horror of the killings because it would be too shocking for cinema audiences. He said the journalists were not just killed by the Indonesian military but, as he put it, "brutally tortured". Their bodies were burned to dispose of the evidence of their killings, he said. ++++ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6703661.stm Last Updated: Wednesday, 30 May 2007, 11:16 GMT 12:16 UK Last Updated: Wednesday, 30 May 2007, 11:16 GMT 12:16 UK E-mail this to a friend Printable version Australia inquiry angers Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso has demanded an apology from Australia Tensions between Indonesia and Australia are running high over a Sydney inquest into the deaths of five reporters killed in East Timor in 1975. The Australian inquiry has been told that Indonesian troops murdered five Australian-based journalists during the invasion of East Timor. Jakarta's governor cut short a visit to Australia after being asked to answer questions at the coroner's inquest. Australia and Indonesia have always said the journalists died accidentally. Two previous official Australian investigations have concluded the five journalists were accidentally shot when they were caught in crossfire as Indonesian troops entered Balibo, in East Timor, in October 1975. 'War crime' But a senior lawyer told coroner Dorelle Pinch that eyewitness evidence has proved the men were murdered after they had tried to surrender to Indonesian soldiers. "The journalists were not killed by being caught in crossfire," Mark Tedeschi said, "but rather were deliberately killed by the Indonesian troops who had arrived at the Balibo town square." "At least three of the journalists were shot by Indonesian troops after an order was given by Captain Yunus Yosfiah," he said as he delivered his summary of the evidence presented at the inquest over the last four months. Another journalist was shot separately and the fifth was stabbed to death by another Indonesian officer, Mr Tedeschi said. He said such behaviour must have been sanctioned by officers higher in rank to those present at Balibo and could constitute a war crime under the Geneva Convention. Britons Brian Peters and Malcolm Rennie, Australians Greg Shackleton and Tony Stewart and New Zealander Gary Cunningham died in Balibo while working for Australian television channels. Their families have always maintained they were murdered by Indonesian special forces to cover up their attack on Balibo. Jakarta's current Governor Sutiyoso cut short an official visit to Sydney after being asked to testify at the inquest by Australian police officers who allegedly entered his hotel room. "They barged into my room after forcing the hotel to give them a duplicate key," he told reporters after returning to Jakarta. Mutual accusations Sutiyoso, a former general, said he served in East Timor in 1975 but was never stationed in Balibo. He has demanded an official apology from the Australian government over the matter. The row prompted protests outside Australia's embassy in Jakarta "I feel really insulted," he said. "I was angry because I was not supposed to be treated like that as a state official who came on an official invitation." A police officer was sent with a personal invitation to the governor to appear at the inquest, coroner Pinch said. She said she had spoken to the police officer who assured her no unauthorised entry was made to Governor Sutiyoso's room. Indonesia's foreign ministry has asked Australia's ambassador to Jakarta to explain why Gov Sutiyoso was asked to testify. Visiting foreign officials are protected under Australian law from court orders relating to domestic matters. The row has prompted a spate of accusations between the two governments, the BBC's Lucy Williamson in Jakarta says. Indonesia's Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said Canberra had told him there would be no fall-out from the inquest, Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. Speaking to ABC, Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer denied giving any such assurance. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
