Death in Balibo, lies in Canberra

by Ball, Desmond

For over two decades the deaths of five newsmen in Balibo, East Timor has nagged at consciences in Australia, Britain and New Zealand. This is a story of lies that reveal the workings of a clandestine system of deceit and names those involved in a 24-year trail of cover-ups and denials.BLOOD ON WHOSE HANDS?Australian diplomats in Jakarta and Canberra or Australian defence intelligence operatives? Senior ministers in the Whitlam government or senior public servants?At first light on 16 October 1975, Indonesian special forces stormed the East Timor village of Balibo, killing five newsmen. A quarter of a century later, the fate of these unarmed civilians continues to nag at consciences in Britain, New Zealand and Australia.Did highly-placed Australians secretly 'sign off' on Indonesia's plan to invade its neighbour? Did they know that the newsmen were targets? Did they choose to leave these young men to the mercy of the Indonesian Army?In this book, a long-term analyst of Indonesian defen