http://books.scoop.co.nz/2009/11/14/killing-greg-shackleton-again-and-again/ Edited by Jeremy Rose Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:22:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://books.scoop.co.nz/2009/11/14/killing-greg-shackleton-again-and-again/comment-page-1/#comment-38539 johnd Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:52:24 +0000 http://books.scoop.co.nz/?p=1761#comment-38539 The whole Balibo story as being told is incomplete. It seems to begin with the killing of the journalists and says little about the circumstances that actually led to their killing. What should be told is that the ABC journalists had witnessed the Indonesian buildup and reports of this ended up being broadcast back into East Timor as part of the Radio Australia news services to the region. The Fretilin by listening to those reports were able to determine the intentions of the Indonesians and accordingly set up an ambush for them at the border crossing point of Batu Gade. The battle for Batu Gade took about 2 or 3 days before the Indonesians were able to gain control and they reportedly suffered heavy casualties. They were able to determine that it was the "intelligence" provided by the Radio Australia broadcasts that allowed the Fretilin to prepare the ambush, and they set out to pay back for the casualties they suffered in the ambush. It is significant that they only targeted Australian journalist, thinking they were responsible for the Radio Australia broadcasts, and not the Portuguese journalists who had also witnessed what the ABC journalists had witnessed. Only the ABC journalist will be able to tell whether the reason they departed so quickly was mere caution, or did they have good reason knowing the Indonesians might be after them. It is also interesting that the reports of the journalists being killed was reported in the Portuguese media, with the absence of reporting here in Australia, everything to do with an Australian cover-up, and nothing to do with Indonesia trying to maintain secrecy. How could they, the news of what they were doing was already out, more so in other parts of the world than in Australia. The whole Balibo story as being told is incomplete. It seems to begin with the killing of the journalists and says little about the circumstances that actually led to their killing.
What should be told is that the ABC journalists had witnessed the Indonesian buildup and reports of this ended up being broadcast back into East Timor as part of the Radio Australia news services to the region. The Fretilin by listening to those reports were able to determine the intentions of the Indonesians and accordingly set up an ambush for them at the border crossing point of Batu Gade. The battle for Batu Gade took about 2 or 3 days before the Indonesians were able to gain control and they reportedly suffered heavy casualties. They were able to determine that it was the “intelligence” provided by the Radio Australia broadcasts that allowed the Fretilin to prepare the ambush, and they set out to pay back for the casualties they suffered in the ambush. It is significant that they only targeted Australian journalist, thinking they were responsible for the Radio Australia broadcasts, and not the Portuguese journalists who had also witnessed what the ABC journalists had witnessed.
Only the ABC journalist will be able to tell whether the reason they departed so quickly was mere caution, or did they have good reason knowing the Indonesians might be after them.
It is also interesting that the reports of the journalists being killed was reported in the Portuguese media, with the absence of reporting here in Australia, everything to do with an Australian cover-up, and nothing to do with Indonesia trying to maintain secrecy. How could they, the news of what they were doing was already out, more so in other parts of the world than in Australia.

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