President Ramos Horta Asks Indonesia to be Responsible for Balibo Case

Monday, 03 December, 2007 | 17:14 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Timor Leste's President Jose Ramos Horta yesterday Sunday (2/12) urged the Republic of Indonesia to apologize and take responsibility for the killing of six foreign journalists in Balibo, East Timor in 1975.

Although Indonesia's Foreign Affairs Department said the case has long been closed, according to Horta, Indonesia's new government under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration has complete responsibility to push the perpetrators of the killing, especially the Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel, to be responsible.

Horta said he realized that not five, but six foreign journalists were killed.

They were five journalists of English, Australian and New Zealand citizenship, killed in October in Balibo, and one journalist was killed on December 7, 1975 in Dili.

"Six foreign journalists in Timor Leste who were killed were not ordinary journalists. They were unique and famous. They didn't just die, but died being murdered for recording the reality of this nation in 1975," Horta told Tempo yesterday (2/12) at the Matahari Terbit Building, Dili.

As regards the TNI separatist movement, President Horta asked the new Indonesian government led by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to acknowledge the misconduct and take responsibilities.

JOSE SARITO AMARAL (DILI)