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WIFE OF DEAD JOURNALIST WANTS ACTION, NOT WORDS By Ilsa Colson

MELBOURNE, Oct 20 AAP - The wife of one of five Australian journalists killed in East Timor 23 years ago today called for action to back up the expressed intention of Indonesian President BJ Habibie for an inquiry into the deaths.

"I'm a realist. I look at all of these things and say yes, they're nice words, they're very comforting words but what I'm interested in is action," Shirley Shackleton told AAP.

Mrs Shackleton's husband Greg was one of five Australian television journalists, including two British citizens, who died on October 16, 1975, in the border village of Balibo during the Indonesian invasion of East Timor. Despite claims by Indonesia that the men were killed in crossfire, allegations have continued that they were deliberately targeted by Indonesian troops during the invasion.

Britain's The Independent newspaper yesterday reported that at a meeting in Jakarta last month, Mr Habibie had given an undertaking to investigate the deaths to British Foreign Office Minister Derek Fatchett.

Mrs Shackleton said she would support an inquiry by the Indonesian government into the deaths if it were a a full coronial or judicial inquiry. A judicial inquiry in the Indonesian courts would be "perfectly adequate", but full cooperation between the Australian and Indonesian governments was also necessary, she said.

She said Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who welcomed the move on ABC Radio today, should go further than just welcoming the proposed inquiry.

"I think he should do more than welcome it - he should do something to make it happen," Mrs Shackleton said.

"If Mr Downer puts his words into action, I would say it would be a cause for champagne."

Asked if she had confidence the proposed inquiry would come to fruition, Mrs Shackleton said: "Time will tell."

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